For Virginia Wade, watching Emma Raducanu at the US Open brought a frisson of excitement, mixed with a slight element of caution.
A lifetime in the game, which included Wimbledon and New York titles, has taught her that startling young talent needs handling carefully.
On Monday, Wade looked on with pleasure from Flushing Meadows’ answer to the Royal Box as Raducanu cantered into the last eight. She expects to be back again when the 18-year-old tackles Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
Emma Raducanu beat Shelby Rogers in straight sets to reach the fourth round at the US Open
Wade had a brief chat with the new star before departing the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Later the former champion, who has always possessed a shrewd and unswerving eye, gave a typically forthright assessment of the player being freighted with the possibility of emulating her feats.
She believes in Raducanu’s potential and thinks, for example, that she is better than 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu. However, she also reckons that the Kent teenager needs another two years of physical development and that beating Bencic will prove a tough proposition.
Now resident in Long Island and with pandemic travel restrictions in place, Wade had to forego her usual trip back to Wimbledon this summer.
Virginia Wade has hailed Raducanu and also believes that the British starlet 'ticks all the boxes'
‘This is the first time I have seen her in the flesh but I have watched her quite a lot on TV,’ Wade said. ‘I didn’t think the fourth round was a perfect example of how good she is because Shelby (Rogers) froze.
‘But listen, she ticks all the boxes: she’s got good concentration, great groundstrokes, her serve is awesome and she knows what to do with the ball.
‘I think probably the way she concentrates so well and her determination are maybe the best features of all. But everything else is good. The serve is very consistent, technically very sound. At 18, you have to see how it all develops. Other players, they get together and start to work out how to play you.’
That is most definitely the case. This summer Raducanu has enjoyed being something of an unknown quantity, but the locker room and attendant coaches will now be poring over her game to sniff out weaknesses, not that these are very obvious.
Raducanu's concentration and determination were particularly singled out for praise by Wade
Bencic, the 24-year-old world No 12, was an adolescent wonder-kid. She is now looking ready to deliver, with her confidence having surged since winning the
