'She needs to be focussed on the game' - Justine Henin sends Emma Raducanu a warning ahead of US Open defence

Justine Henin says Emma Raducanu must be «focussed on the game» if she is to have further success in her career. As the 2022 US Open gets underway on Monday, thoughts inevitably turn to that sensational night nearly 12 months ago in New York when Raducanu beat Leylah Fernandez to win her first major title at just 18-years-old, having come all the way through qualifying to the final without dropping a set. Ad Since then however, it's been not been nearly as smooth a ride for the British teenager, with injuries and a series of difficult results marring her 2022 season.

US OpenUS Open questions: Will Raducanu shine again? Will Medvedev repeat?37 MINUTES AGO But Raducanu looked to have found some of her best form earlier this month when demolishing multiple major champs Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati, and she will need the confidence from those wins as she starts her US Open title defence with a tough assignment against Alize Cornet. Henin thinks simply getting the US Open out of the way — however far she goes — may be beneficial for Raducanu. The Belgian said: «I think it's time for her that the US Open is behind her.

US Open questions: Will Raducanu shine again? Will Medvedev repeat? Wilander explains how Raducanu has ‘opened a can of worms’ »If we come back a year ago, we couldn't expect that from her. She was playing the first tournaments on the tour and then she wins a Grand Slam the way she did. We all loved it – it [the final] was with Leylah [Fernandez].

It was fresh. They were playing great tennis. «We need personalities also on the tour and I think these two really gave us a lot of emotions last year.