'Emma has taken that next step': Andrea Petkovic backs Emma Raducanu as a US Open dark horse

As the 2025 US Open reaches the Round of 32, tennis expert Andrea Petkovic has looked back at her predictions and shared her insights on which players could make deep runs, highlighting both the familiar stars and potential dark horses.

On the women’s side at the US Open, Petkovic singled out Emma Raducanu as a player to watch as she said in a discussion on Sky Sports, "Being able to do that week in, week out, that separates the good from the great. And I think Emma has taken a next level and a next step in her career.". Raducanu’s resurgence this season has impressed, particularly coming into the US Open after a difficult stretch in her early career when her physical limits often curtailed her momentum.

Petkovic explained her approach to predictions: "I’ve picked Emma Raducanu on the women’s side and Joao Fonseca on the men’s side. Fonseca let me down, unfortunately, but Emma is doing really, really well, she’s only dropped, I think, five games in total in two matches." On her overall success rate, she added, "Yes, I have picked Swiatek, Alcaraz, and Raducanu, so three out of four is not too bad. They are keeping me afloat so far as an expert on TV.".

When asked what convinced her to pick Raducanu, Petkovic pointed to a key moment over the summer: "It was one particular moment, actually. I called Washington D.C., Montreal, and Cincinnati back to back, and I had never seen her in a long stretch of her career back up a good result. Usually, her body would fail her, or she’d feel too tired to perform consistently.".

She continued: "But in Washington, she played really well and made the semifinals. She flew the next day, it was a crazy travel day, and stepped on court the next day to win her match. That showed me she had reached the next level, taking the mental challenge of performing week in, week out."

Petkovic also highlighted the importance of Raducanu’s off-court mindset: "Absolutely. She’s talking about enjoying life more off the court and feeling the most relaxed she’s ever been here since winning the title. That’s key. The ability to live your life on tour, enjoy it, go see a movie, grab a good coffee, makes it possible to perform week after week. Emma has been learning to balance the on-court and off-court parts of her life, which comes with time.".

Reflecting on how quickly Raducanu’s rise seemed to happen, Petkovic said, "Yes, it felt like it came overnight, but in reality, she had been through a lot. She was sitting her A-level exams back home, then went to Wimbledon and made the fourth round. After that, she went on a seven-week trip to America, playing challenger events and smaller tour events, then came into qualifying. Over those three weeks, she played 10 matches and 20 sets. Her world was completely turned upside down. Now, she’s matured, her game has improved, and her physical resilience is so much stronger. Earlier in the year, she was playing a lot of tennis but wasn’t necessarily winning; importantly, she wasn’t breaking down physically. Her summer hardcourt season has been great, and she’s continued that in New York.".