“I hope everybody just backs up, it’s like she has no breathing room" - Billie Jean King on Emma Raducanu

Billie Jean King believes Emma Raducanu has not been given the necessary time and space to grow on tour. King reckons Raducanu has time on her side to keep developing, given that the latter is only 19.

The 2021 US Open champion stunned the world that year by becoming the first qualifier to win a Major. Many expected Raducanu to touch greater heights the following season but were left quite shocked by the teenager's poor form and her constant change of coaches.

Emma Raducanu recently finished her season, winning a meager 17 matches out of the 36 she has played on tour this year. More disappointingly, she also failed to progress beyond the second round at all four Slams.

Naturally, the teenager has drawn a fair amount of criticism from fans worldwide, but Billie Jean King believes Raducanu must not take any form of criticism to heart.

“First of all, you can’t pay attention to what anyone says about you. And don’t take anything personally,” is King’s first piece of advice for Raducanu while speaking to The Herald Scotland.

King highlighted the importance of Raducanu finding the "right person" to share and discuss her troubles with. That said, the 12-time Major champion firmly reckons the teenager must look inwards for answers to her problems.

“But then you’ve got to find the right person to talk to. And that’s the hard part because everyone has an opinion," King added. "It’s important for her to find out what she wants in life. She needs to search her own soul."

Meanwhile, the legendary American stressed that it is the onus for fans to give Raducanu the time and space she needs to find solutions.

“Our job is to give her time and space. Let Emma decide what is best for her, not have everyone else deciding for her. Glean the information that pertains to her," said King. “I hope everybody just backs up. It’s like she has no breathing room. Give her some time to breathe, some space. She’s really young. Give her time.”

"She's a Grand Slam champion - no one is going to take that away from her" - Anne Keothavong on Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu at the Hana Bank Korea Open

Elsewhere, Britain's Billie Jean King Cup team captain Anne Keothavong also shared her thoughts on Emma Raducanu's progress in a recent interview with Sky Sports.

Keothavong believes Raducanu must primarily strive towards ensuring that she is "fit and healthy" ahead of next season.

"The most important thing for Emma is to make sure she is fit and healthy," said Keothavong. "She's had a year on tour where she has a better understanding of what the expectations are and how to manage her time and her body, so she'll have a clearer idea about that going into next year."

The 39-year-old stressed that Raducanu is rightfully a Grand Slam champion and that she has the potential to keep "achieving great things."

"She's a Grand Slam champion - no one is going to take that away from her and she's capable of achieving great things," added Keothavong.