Iga Swiatek has tipped Emma Raducanu to return to the top level of women’s tennis while in other news, Andy Murray has returned to practice.
World No.1 Swiatek was challenged all the way by Raducanu in their Stuttgart Open quarter-final clash on Friday as the Polish star eventually beat her British foe.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek was compelled into a tie-break for just the second time in 21 career sets played at the tournament after a tense first set.
Swiatek won that tie-break and Raducanu’s level dropped a little in the second set as her rival produced a double break to secure victory and a semi-final spot.
Despite defeat, it’s been an impressive period for Raducanu, who went into this match with four consecutive wins for the first time since her 2021 US Open victory.
The 21-year-old, who was ranked as high as world No.10 in 2022, is currently down at No.303 but is set for a major ranking boost when they next update.
Raducanu is aiming to climb back to the top of the sport after significant injury problems forced her into triple surgery before she made a return in January.
Many experts have predicted that Raducanu will return to the top 10 and Swiatek has insisted that the Briton ‘has the game’ to get back to the top level.
‘I hope she will be able to do it (return to the top level of women’s tennis) because for sure she has the game for it,’ Swiatek said after her victory.
‘It was a pretty intense match so I am happy I was able to keep the intensity even though we played tough games for over two hours. It wasn’t easy, I had a lot of break points that I couldn’t convert.
‘She started playing at the beginning pretty loose, like she had nothing to lose, and I totally get that. Sometimes it is like that.
‘But I knew I was kind of questioning if she’s going to be able to keep the same intensity throughout the whole match.
‘It wasn’t about service games or return games. I was just the waiting for my chances to break back and I was sure that I’m going to get them.’
Meanwhile, British legend Murray has confirmed that he is set to avoid surgery on his horror ankle injury and has returned to practice, posting a video on Instagram of himself hitting forehand shots on an indoor court.
Murray, who has admitted he’s unlikely to play past this summer as he edges towards retirement, is hoping to feature at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
No timeline for his return has been announced but Murray is ‘out of the walking boot’ and ‘hoping to start hitting again on court soon’, according to his team.
