A historic Grand Slam triumph at the 2021 US Open, followed by a huge slump in form, marred by injuries, and a coaching turmoil in the last four years, Emma Raducanu has witnessed it all by now. The 22-year-old Brit had tested seven coaches before locking in on a familiar and reliable face, back in March. This helped her regain her confidence on the court this season, and she looks solid at Wimbledon. With a second-round victory over 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova, her confidence is sky high. However, she will need to bring her A-game in the next battle. She will be up against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. However, a former WTA icon believes there is one key tip Raducanu can imbibe in her gameplay from American star Taylor Fritz to win over the three-time slam queen.

During the Tennis Channel’s pre-match segment, former American WTA star Lindsay Davenport revealed what Raducanu needs to do to defeat a strong rival like Sabalenka in the third round. The latter is 1-0 ahead in her H2H tally against the Brit. Their only meeting took place last year during the Indian Wells event. Per Davenport, Raducanu will have “to wait for her chances. If she gets some chances on second serves, she’s got to go for it and be able to go hard middle and when she’s got a little bit of time, that’s when she goes to the wing.” Explaining her point, the ex-pro added, “She cannot afford to go off the court too soft because then you are going to open up the angle for Sabalenka.”

But then, Davenport also suggested that Raducanu can learn a thing or two from American ATP pro Taylor Fritz. The latter’s been performing well against hard-hitting servers. Despite facing a 153 mph serve from Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round, he managed to return it well and earn a point on it. Not to mention, he eventually beat Perricard before besting another strong server Gabriel Diallo in the second round. Davenport mentioned, “I liked how Taylor Fritz approached in this tournament where he’s actually moved forward against some of the bigger servers and blocked them back.” According to her, “It will be interesting to see if Raducanu does that because she can’t give Sabalenka too many free points.”

Additionally, she also admired how the collaboration with former British pro and coach Mark Petchey has helped Raducanu. “The last four years, a lot of turnover. So earlier this year (she) decided to get little bit more comfort in who was giving her advice. Mark Petchey one of them, a longtime coach as well. It seems to have brought out the best in Raducanu.” For the uninitiated, the Brit was able to reach her maiden QF stage of an event this season under Petchey. Back in March, she performed really well at the Miami Open and showed great potential.

Interestingly, Petchey was associated with the Brit in the past. He was in her team when she had won the 2021 US Open. This year, he reunited with her to help her gain much-needed momentum. Seems like his role has been crucial in improving her mentality.

Emma Raducanu’s honest feedback on Mark Petchey

After she witnessed a resurgence under Andy Murray’s ex coach Petchey in Miami, rumors suggested that Emma Raducanu was considering sticking with him for the long term. However, she refuted such claims. According to her, there was nothing “formal. It’s pretty informal for now, but is something that’s going really well.”

However, she did reveal an honest assessment of Petchey’s influence on her. During an interaction with Sky Sports, in May, Raducanu revealed she felt, “more optimistic, I feel pretty positive about things going forward. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to stay consistent.” While she didn’t specifically name Petchey, her response was obviously hinting toward his impact.

Reflecting on a new, focused approach under the ex-ATP pro, she added, “It is exciting, it does feel like a bit of a fresh start with the way I am approaching everything, with the people I have around, with my mindset and outlook.” Plus, she also shared details on how Petchey helped her make a transition from technique-centric training. “He’s not a super technical coach, there are certain tweaks, as always, but that is something I am going away from,” she told.

On Friday, Raducanu will be tested on her improvement from her past Wimbledon campaigns. Her best run includes reaching the fourth round (2022 and 2024). If she beats Sabalenka in the third round, the Brit will have the chance to stretch her run this time. But can she really overcome the Belarusian heavyweight? Only time will tell.

But guess what? You don’t have to wait for a long time in order to get the latest updates from the All England Club. Check out EssentiallySports’ minute by minute update of the Championships here.