Emma Raducanu Gandeng Kembali Pelatih Andrew Richardson Jelang Strasbourg

Petenis tunggal putri Inggris, Emma Raducanu, dipastikan kembali bekerja sama secara penuh waktu dengan mantan pelatihnya, Andrew Richardson, menjelang turnamen WTA 500 di Strasbourg dan Prancis Terbuka.

Langkah penunjukan kembali pelatih yang membantunya menjuarai AS Terbuka 2021 ini diambil setelah Raducanu absen selama dua bulan akibat menderita sakit pasca-virus.

Sebelum absen dari lapangan pasca-kekalahan di Indian Wells pada Maret lalu, Raducanu sempat berpisah dengan pelatih Francisco Roig dan menyatakan keinginan untuk mengubah arah permainan tenisnya.

Mantan petenis Inggris, Tim Henman, menyatakan bahwa Raducanu dan para penggemar harus bersikap sabar mengingat sang pemain sudah cukup lama tidak bertanding akibat masalah kebugaran.

"I think Emma, and we to a certain extent, need to be patient. She hasn't played for quite some time, coming back from illness and injury is not easy," kata Tim Henman, mantan petenis nomor satu Inggris kepada TNT Sports.

Henman menilai permukaan lapangan tanah liat di Strasbourg dan Roland-Garros bukan merupakan area favorit Raducanu, sehingga ekspektasi performanya tidak boleh terlalu tinggi sebelum memasuki musim lapangan rumput.

"She's on her least favourite surface [clay], so my expectations are pretty low for Strasbourg and Roland-Garros. Coming back onto the grass, that's a much more comfortable surface, but we appreciate the spotlight's going to be pretty intense," ujar Henman.

Menurut Henman, prioritas utama bagi Raducanu saat ini adalah menjaga kondisi tubuh agar tetap fit dan sehat guna membangun momentum bertanding tanpa terganggu cedera lagi.

"If I could choose one thing for Emma, it would be that she's fit and healthy without any injury setbacks because that's what she needs. She needs to build momentum on the match court and you can't do that if you're injured or ill," kata Henman.

Henman menambahkan bahwa kualitas tenis Raducanu sangat berbakat, namun masalah utama yang dihadapinya saat ini terletak pada aspek ketahanan fisik di lapangan.

"For me, it's not about her tennis. Her tennis has always been very, very good. She’s highly talented," ucap Henman.

Selain itu, Henman berpendapat Raducanu membutuhkan kekuatan fisik yang lebih besar agar dapat memukul bola lebih keras secara konsisten daripada melakukan perubahan teknis.

"For me, it's a physical issue. She's got to have greater physical resilience. Get stronger, to hit the ball harder and do it more often," tutur Henman.

Henman menyoroti posisi peringkat Raducanu yang berada di sekitar 25 besar dunia dan menilai sang petenis masih bisa terus berkembang melampaui capaian tersebut.

"She's sort of been around 25 in the world, hasn't she? And it feels like she's scratching the surface," kata Henman.

Ketahanan fisik untuk berlatih lebih lama dan menjalani lebih banyak pertandingan dianggap Henman sebagai kunci utama bagi kemajuan Raducanu saat ini.

"In my mind, it's not about her making technical changes or trying to adjust her game, it's about having that resilience to practice longer and hit the ball harder and play more matches and build the resilience." ujar Henman.

Mengenai kembalinya Richardson ke tim kepelatihan, Henman memuji karakter sang pelatih yang dinilai tenang dan sudah mengenal Raducanu sejak level junior.

"Andrew has known Emma for a long, long time since she was a junior and he's a good player himself," tambah Henman.

Henman juga berharap kerja sama kali ini dapat berlangsung lebih permanen setelah Raducanu kerap berganti pelatih dalam beberapa tahun terakhir.

"I think he's very understated, he's a calming influence, understands the game well, and what they achieved in New York was unprecedented." ucap Henman.

Henman melihat pergantian pelatih yang terlalu sering sebelumnya membuat stabilitas tim menjadi berkurang.

"There's been a lot of chopping and changing since then so I really hope, for both their sakes, that this is something that is a lot more permanent," kata Henman.

Mantan petenis Inggris lainnya, Laura Robson, menyetujui pendapat Henman dan meminta para pendukung untuk tidak memberikan beban ekspektasi berlebih pada pertandingan-pertandingan awal Raducanu.

"I feel like she's going to have no expectations and I don't feel like anyone supporting her or watching her should have any expectations as well." kata Laura Robson kepada TNT Sports.

Robson mengingatkan bahwa situasi akan sulit bagi Raducanu yang sempat terganggu secara fisik dan tidak bisa berlatih maksimal di gym maupun lapangan praktis.

"We know how good she can play, but it's going to be tough to do that in the first couple of matches back when you've been on and off, on and off, and, you know, struggling physically." tutur Robson.

Menurut Robson, fokus utama Raducanu saat ini adalah membangun kembali basis fisiknya setelah absen selama beberapa bulan.

"She's not been able to put the amount of work in the gym or on the practice court in the last few months as she would have liked, so it's just about building that base again," kata Robson.

Robson juga menyambut positif kembalinya Richardson karena kesamaan visi dan tingginya rasa saling percaya di antara mereka.

"She's got that relationship with her former, now current, coach, where they've got the same sort of goals for her game of what they want to be working on, which I think will be really helpful. It will be super clear every time she goes out on court." ujar Robson.

Robson berharap reuni kepelatihan ini dapat bertahan lebih lama dibanding durasi kerja sama pertama mereka setelah kemenangan di AS Terbuka.

"It could be a great move. You don't know until you try it. I think it's more that they have that confidence in each other, they have that prior relationship, and they have a lot of trust in each other as well, which at this stage is probably what she's looking for." ucap Robson.

Kesamaan pandangan mengenai gaya bermain dinilai Robson sebagai separuh dari kunci keberhasilan hubungan pelatih dan pemain.

"He has the same opinions of how he thinks she should play, as she does of herself, and that's half the battle sometimes. I don't think there's any negatives to it at all. I just hope that it lasts a little bit longer than the first time around," kata Robson.

Sementara itu, Raducanu mengungkapkan rasa bersyukur atas kembalinya Richardson yang telah mendampinginya selama lebih dari satu dekade.

"(I’m) grateful to have reconnected with someone who has known me for over a decade now and looking forward to building together one iteration at a time," kata Emma Raducanu dilansir dari femaleinsports.com.

Pada babak 32 besar Internationaux de Strasbourg, Emma Raducanu dijadwalkan langsung berhadapan dengan petenis tuan rumah Prancis, Diane Parry, di lapangan red clay.