Emma Raducanu to be 'good matchup' for retiring Serena Williams as Brit's game downplayed

Emma Raducanu's chances against Serena Williams have been downplayed ahead of the pair's blockbuster first-round meeting in Cincinnati. Former world No 1 Andy Roddick thought the American would benefit from playing the US Open champion, who he claimed didn't have the power to disturb Williams' game.

Raducanu is set to be one of the final opponents of Williams' career after the 23-time Grand Slam champion announced last week that she would soon be retiring. While no date for the end of her career has been set, many believe she will hang up her racket after the US Open, leaving just two tournaments before she retires.

And the 40-year-old has drawn reigning US Open champion Raducanu in the opening round of the Cincinnati WTA 1000, her final warm-up tournament ahead of her home Grand Slam tournament. While the world No 10 should prove a good test for the two-time former champion, another US Open winner has claimed that it will instead be a "good matchup" for Williams while downplaying Raducanu's game style.

Speaking on Tennis Channel, 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick said: "This is actually a good matchup for Serena, needing to kind of get those reps going into New York." Williams' compatriot explained that he thought Raducanu wouldn't have enough power to blow the former world No 1 off the court, allowing Williams to dictate the match and play to her own rhythm.

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"She's gonna get a lot of balls to hit, she's gonna get a look at her serve. It's not gonna blow her off the court. It's going to be kind of a pressure mechanism," he continued. Williams recently recorded her first singles match win in 430 days at the Canadian Open in Toronto before losing