Kim Clijsters appears to shade Emma Raducanu in Iga Swiatek comparison

Former world number one Kim Clijsters has seemingly taken a swipe at Emma Raducanu while praising Iga Świątek’s iconic rise to the top of the WTA rankings.

The 20-year-old was bumped up to number one status following the retirement of Ashleigh Barty and a run of impressive form which saw her win both the Qatar Open and Indian Wells.

While not directly mentioning Raducanu by name, Clijsters has appeared to compare the two young stars’ progress since their individual maiden Grand Slam wins.

“To see Iga grow as a tennis player, it has been so beautiful for me,” Clijsters said in an interview with WTA (via Tennis World USA). “There’s a certain type of focus that is on tennis, and tennis only. There’s a drive there that I admire very much — a drive that I recognise. She’s had great results in the past, but she still wants to improve.

“We’ve seen others that kind of take a step back and say, ‘Oh, I’ve won a Slam now, I’ve made it. There’s sponsors coming in and I get treated like a princess wherever I go.’

“Just because you’re the number one player and have won Slams, doesn’t mean you should treat other people differently.”

The Belgian’s comments appear to be referring to Raducanu’s dip in form since winning the US Open last year and the hot topic of her lucrative brand endorsement deals.

Since her historic triumph at Flushing Meadows in September 2021, the 19-year-old has skyrocketed through the world rankings to become the new British number one, and 13th in the world overall.

Her astronomical rise saw her jump more than 300 places in just three months after going from a wildcard entrant at the Nottingham Open to the US Open champion.

However, since then, victories have been few and far between for Raducanu and many have