It seems to be getting worse for the former US Open champion, Emma Raducanu. The Brit is looking to repeat the historic feat achieved four years back when she won the US Open title in the least-expected fashion. Coming off as a qualifier, she won all her matches in straight sets to clinch her maiden Grand Slam trophy. However, things don’t look as promising for Raducanu this time around, given her poor form of late. Just weeks ahead of the last major tournament of the season, Raducanu received a fresh blow in her bid to win the US Open title again.

According to the live WTA rankings, Raducanu is placed in the 38th spot. She is six places off the seeding spots at the US Open. If the Brit remains out of the top 32, she is likely to miss out on a seeding chance at the US Open, which will, in turn, increase the likelihood of facing a top star in the early rounds.

One of her failures recently has been her disappointing show at the US Open. Raducanu went down tamely against Amanda Anisimova in the round of 32, as she lost out on a chance to improve her ranking ahead of the US Open. However, not all is lost for Raducanu, and she will have a chance for redemption before the US Open.

Last year, Raducanu didn’t play any warm-up tournaments in the lead-up to the US Open. Thus, she’ll have no ranking points to defend and can overtake the likes of Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova if she participates in the tournaments in Cleveland or Monterrey and performs well there.

However, it remains to be seen if Raducanu plays any other tournament before the US Open. Meanwhile, the former US Open champion also received a stern warning from tennis legend Martina Navratilova.

What did Martina Navratilova say about Emma Raducanu?

With the form not being on her side, there are many question marks raised over Raducanu’s chances ahead of the US Open. However, Navratilova looked at the larger picture while assessing Raducanu’s performances of late and pointed to an important aspect about being successful.

She said, “You have to stay together with a coach for at least a year and then take stock. At this stage of her career, Emma needs to find a person who will perfect her game and help her mature in all respects. At the same time, he must not neglect anything in terms of training, nutrition and body care.”

Further, Navratilova went on to add, “Everyone knows Emma is talented; she also showed it against Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon. The feeling is that it is finally moving in the right direction. When you start a new collaboration, you can’t think of improving immediately but you have to be patient.”

Raducanu is just 142 points off the 32nd-ranked Dayana Yastremska. She will have to play in at least one more tournament to have a chance of attaining a seeding for the US Open. While it is a tough road ahead for Raducanu, it remains to be seen how she handles the pressure and expectations out of her.