John McEnroe makes a striking statement about Emma Raducanu: ‘It confuses me…’

John McEnroe has made a telling statement about Emma Raducanu as he admits that he gets “confused” about her game and actions and therefore can’t make any clear predictions about the British tennis star. Ahead of the US Open, American tennis legend McEnroe gave a preview and shared his thoughts on what he expects from some of the biggest names in the game.

And one of the names he was asked about was the 2021 US Open champion. In response to the question, McEnroe emphasized that some of Raducanu’s performances in 2024 made him think she was on track to return to the top of the game.

But then the former seven-time Grand Slam champion also added that some of Raducanu’s decisions left him baffled and confused. When he made these comments, McEnroe likely had in mind Raducanu’s victories over Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari during the grass court season, and the Briton also reaching the semi-finals of Nottingham and the round of 16 at Wimbledon.

The American tennis icon also likely remembered that Raducanu skipped the French Open — and the Paris Olympics — to stick to hard courts, but then only played in Washington in the run-up to the US Open. “Sometimes I see her and it looks like she’s on her way back to the top of the game, but other times I’m a little confused about what’s going on.

“I’m not close to her team and what’s going on, but I hope she’s healthy. There were a couple of matches at Wimbledon and she looked really good and then in the last one, she looked really shaky,” McEnroe said, via Eurosport.

“It’s hard to know what to say about her. I don’t really know. She’s definitely in a better state and healthier than she was a year ago, so that’s good, but I don’t know where she is mentally. Does she have that absolute belief and dedication to win something big again or get into the top ten? I can’t say.”

McEnroe on the chances of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina

In his address to the current crop of the game’s very best players, McEnroe named Sabalenka as someone who he believes is “a strong contender” for the US Open title.

As summer began, Sabalenka suffered a shoulder injury and was out of action for 40 days before returning during the North American hardcourt swing. Sabalenka struggled in her first two tournaments back, but then won the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.

And McEnroe thinks there are good reasons to believe the 2023 US Open runner-up can go one better this year. As for reigning champion Gauff, McEnroe acknowledged the American hasn’t been great so far this summer but also underlined she would have a huge support base in New York.

“I think it’s a more open field, given the circumstances. For example, Aryna Sabalenka didn’t play at Wimbledon or the Olympics, so she’s maybe a bit fresher than other players. If I had to pick someone, she would be a strong contender.

Coco Gauff, on the other hand, hasn’t performed as well this summer, although she has the public behind her, which could be a big boost,” McEnroe said of Sabalenka.

When asked to share his thoughts on Swiatek and Rybakina, McEnroe said he wasn’t “quite sure” how much those two “have left in the tank.” But McEnroe noted that the fast conditions at Flushing Meadows could suit Rybakina’s game.

McEnroe explains why she has doubts about Swiatek

As everyone knows very well, Swiatek is the most dominant player on clay. But when it comes to grass and really fast hard courts, that is the area where the 23-year-old Pole can still improve.

And that’s why McEnroe isn’t entirely convinced that the current world No. 1 will win it all at this year’s US Open. “Her game is definitely better suited to a slower court — clay or a slower hard court. This New York court plays pretty fast, so if you hit certain types of shots, she’s not as effective.

“For me, there hasn’t been much change in her game. I don’t see her coming to the net much more or making any drastic changes,” McEnroe said of Swiatek. “She hasn’t needed to because she’s better than anyone on clay. I’m sure she’s working on those aspects.

She seems like she has a great team, and like all top players, she’s probably trying to keep improving her game. That’s easier said than done when you’re comfortable with your own strengths.”