Martina Navratilova makes stance clear on Emma Raducanu after US Open disaster – ‘She’s old enough to know’

Martina Navratilova has told Emma Raducanu she must ‘take ownership’ of her tennis career following her exit at the US Open last week.

The 21-year-old, who won the Grand Slam just three years ago, was sent crashing out of the tournament by Sofia Kenin.

Raducanu had played just one hard-court match in the build-up to the showdown, with the tennis star’s schedule scrutinised in the time since.

She is yet to win a singles title since her remarkable win at the US Open three years ago.

And Navratilova, speaking to Sky Sports, has now told the Briton to ‘take ownership’ of her career – while also saying ‘she’s old enough to know what she should be doing’.

“I think Emma needs to take ownership of herself, of her brand, and of her tennis career most of all,” she said.

“She needs to be clear who her team is, what her goal is and not let herself off the hook.

“Aryna Sabalenka, when she had problems with her serve and everybody was trying to help her, she took ownership of it and fixed it herself.

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“Emma needs to be in charge and she’s old enough to know what she should be doing – surround herself with good people and then trust in them, and give it time so that you can see the results.

“Technically she is great, but she needs more matchplay. I still don’t think she is as fit as she should be.

“I feel like if you don’t want to play the Olympics because it’s a different surface, you need to fix your body. Maybe it’s just not equipped for this kind of stress.

“She needs to think long-term… not tomorrow or next week.”

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Raducanu was devastated after her defeat at the US Open.

The tennis star has worked hard over the past year to summon some of the magic of old.

Though she performed well against Kenin, her rival was a class above.

And Raducanu has admitted that she wants to play more matches going forward after suffering a brutal first-round exit.

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“I would like to play more matches,” Raducanu told BBC 5 Live.

“I wouldn’t probably still play every single tournament leading up, but I would probably play more than I did this time.

“It’s a lesson to learn for next year.”

She added: “I think I worked my way into the match pretty well, but at this level you can’t really afford to have a slow start of the set and start from a set down.

“I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything’s automatic.

“I can learn from it and manage my schedule slightly differently.”