"I think the one thing that really struck me was the intensity" - Tim Henman on first impressions of Emma Raducanu

British teenager Emma Raducanu took the world by storm after winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier.

Since then, however, the 19-year-old has flattered to deceive and has been struck down by a number of injuries.

In a video on the Amazon Prime Video Sport YouTube channel, former British No. 1 Tim Henman said that he watched Emma Raducanu and her coach Andrew Richardson during a practice session at the 2021 US Open and was struck by their intensity.

"Between qualifying and her first match, I saw Emma practice with Andrew on the court. I was interested to see how Andrew was getting on and what sort of drills they were doing. I think the one thing that really struck me about both of them was the intensity," said Henman.

Henman added that he was greatly impressed by the quality of the practice session and that Raducanu was totally invested in what she was doing.

"This was really quality practice," he continued. "There was no messing around and Andrew was very specific on the drills that he felt that Emma should be doing. And Emma was obviously buying into that so there was an intensity for someone so young and inexperienced, that was very impressive."

“She needs to build that foundation to give her a bit more resilience" - Tim Henman on Emma Raducanu's injury struggles

Emma Raducanu during her match against Jelena Ostapenko at the Hana Bank Korea Open - Day 6

Emma Raducanu has had a number of injury setbacks since her triumph at the 2021 US Open.

During the French Open earlier this year, Tim Henman said that while the teenager's tennis ability is unquestionable, she needs to improve her physicality, which will help her develop more resilience.

“Her physicality has to catch up with her tennis ability, which is in no doubt. She needs to build that foundation to give her a bit more resilience," Henman said. "Though when you reflect on her journey, it has been such a whirlwind she hasn’t really had the opportunity, so hopefully she can build that and the results follow.”

Post her first-round win at Roland Garros, Emma Raducanu revealed that she had increased her hours in the gym in the lead-up to the Major.

“One thing that I have been doing in the lead-up for this week and the whole of last week, I was doing a lot in the gym. A lot before practice, after practice, just keeping all the muscles fired up. It’s something I probably haven’t really done before, train through tournaments," she said.

Also Check Out: Emma Raducanu Parents