Henman: Raducanu's brave Wimbledon defeat to No 1 Sabalenka will motivate her

Tim Henman says Emma Raducanu's brave Wimbledon third-round exit to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will "motivate" her for the American hard-court swing.

Raducanu knows exactly how to get the best out of her game on grass and she again performed strongly at the All England Club.

A second-round victory over former champion Marketa Vondrousova was very impressive and she was unfortunate to lose out to world No 1 Sabalenka in one of the matches of the tournament.

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A key feature of Raducanu's success was her close partnership with coach Mark Petchey, but she faces more uncertainty on that front with Petchey unwilling to give up his media career.

Raducanu thrives with people she trusts around her, so finding a stable set-up must be the priority ahead of the US Open, which she famously won in 2021.

"She's a much better player than she was in 2021 because she's had four more years of experience and now she's started to build more of a team around her," Henman told Sky Sports News.

"She's been competing so much more this year, which therefore emphasises the physical resilience that she's got because she was always getting injuries. So I just hope she can continue in that vein because if she keeps doing the right things on the practice court, the results will come on the match because she's that good a player. And I think it was great to see her on the biggest stage in our sport against the number one player in the world.

"She had a really good chance to win that match and I'm sure that will motivate her now moving onto the hardcourt swing in America to keep building."

'Wimbledon was a steep learning curve for Draper'

Henman also feels British No 1 Jack Draper needs to "adapt his game" in order to compete with Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner and five-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz.

It has been a great season so far for Draper, with the 23-year-old climbing as high as world No 4, but he is still searching for how best to impose his game on grass.

As Draper said after losing to former finalist Marin Cilic in the second round: "I think there's a bit of a misconception, just because I'm a 6ft 4in lefty, I must be incredible on grass."

Cilic gave Draper a lesson in how to play on the surface but the Briton lacks nothing in attitude or professionalism and will hope to join Sinner and Alcaraz in the elite.

"I don't think anyone can deny that those two, Alcaraz and Sinner, have certainly separated the way that they've dominated the Grand Slams in the last 18 months to two years. But Jack has made unbelievable strides this year and has been top five in the world," Henman said.

"He didn't have the best Wimbledon, but I think that's a steep learning curve to be playing at home. He's played so well on clay and hard courts and I think he needs to adapt his game a little bit on grass. And the reality is, you don't get long to play on grass.

"There are only three weeks between the French Open and Wimbledon and then Wimbledon itself. But he's got a great team around him. He would have taken many learnings away from the Championships this year and I'm sure in 12 months' time he'll be a better player and better prepared."

Raising the bar

Sinner vs Alcaraz was the latest chapter in an increasingly gripping rivalry that looks likely to endure for years.

Alcaraz had threatened to make it a one-sided duel, having won their last five meetings, including last month's epic five-setter in the French Open final.

But Sinner got his revenge for that, dethroning the two-time champion for a first Wimbledon title and a fourth Grand Slam crown, one behind the Spaniard. The US Open - live on Sky Sports Tennis - promises to be a fascinating next instalment.

"I think what they've done in such a short period of time is absolutely incredible," said Henman. "And I think there were understandable concerns about who the next generation was going to be in the men's because of what [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic had done. They won 66 Grand Slams between them.

"I think at times they've almost raised the bar unfairly high. However, Alcaraz has now won five and Sinners won four, and in the grand scheme of the great champions of our sport, you look at [Stefan] Edberg, [Boris] Becker and [John] McEnroe and [Jimmy] Connors and [Andre] Agassi, they won six, seven and eight and they are absolute legends of the sport.

"All of a sudden, we're asking the question, 'Well, is Alcaraz going to get to 15 and 20?' I mean, it's mad, but they are phenomenal players. I think they benefit from each other because that rivalry will continue to motivate them and push each other to keep improving their games. And it's other players' jobs to try and get into that conversation."

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