John McEnroe: Coco Gauff win at Australian Open would put Emma Raducanu ‘back on the map again’

Emma Raducanu will have the chance to “let loose and play free” against Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open, according to John McEnroe.

Seventh seed Gauff, 18, also won in straightforward fashion to set up a first meeting with Raducanu.

Both players were ranked in the top 15 last summer but while Gauff has climbed into the top 10, Raducanu has slipped down to No. 77 after dropping points from her shock 2021 US Open victory.

“It will probably be the first time in a couple of years where Emma Raducanu won’t be feeling the type of pressure she’s been feeling since she won the US Open,” former world No. 1 McEnroe told Eurosport.

“So that’s probably a good thing to allow her to be more free and do her thing, because to me she’s the type of player, the type of person and the type of talent that we could use in the top 10.”

Raducanu had a difficult first full season on tour on bursting onto the scene in 2021.

She did not make it past the second round at any of the four Grand Slams in 2022 and was hampered by several injury issues.

“It’s been hard to watch her difficulties,” said McEnroe.

“But she’s playing someone who’s gone at a slower pace and matured more gradually – Gauff is only 18 but has been on the tour for years.

“It’s a great second-round match-up and I think it’s going to be the first time in a while where Emma can really let loose and play more free. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens there.

“I think Coco is in the better position right now to make a deep run and I think it’s going to be soon that she’s going to win a major event in the next year or two at the most. To me she goes in as a heavy favourite.

“She seems to be playing better and better and serving more consistently than she has done. I would say that it’s a match she should win, but a match that could put Raducanu back on the map again, which would be good for her.”

Draper has to ‘figure out’ physical issues

Draper, 21, won the second set but then started cramping and couldn’t maintain high level.

It is not the first time that Draper, who enjoyed a big ranking jump in 2022 to reach the top 50, has been let down by his body.

“He’s made amazing progress,” said McEnroe.

“But you see that level that you have to get to in order to compete with the all-time greats in a best-of-five-set match, that’s the difference. To me he’s one of the most dangerous players outside the top 10 if you were playing two out of three sets, but when you have to take it the best of five, that’s another thing altogether.

“I think he’d be a breath of fresh air and would be great for our sport if he broke through because he’s certainly got top-10 potential, he’s crafty, he knows what he’s doing, he’s got a good feel for the game.

“This conditioning part, you don’t know how much of it is actual conditioning because, from what I’ve been hearing, he’s been working extremely hard to try to get himself fit, because this isn’t the first time this has happened with him, so this is an issue.

“But some players that have gone on to great careers have had cramping issues early on. I had heard he had been sick for a couple of weeks, so that maybe contributed to it. He did a lot of good things, but at the end of the day, the body gave out on him. He has to figure out a way to deal with that.

“He’s not the only guy. Holger Rune for example, who’s going to win majors, has had issues with that, so you can go down the list.

“Hopefully he’ll get through this quickly.”

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