'That's probably one in particular': Emma Raducanu shares what she is scared about ahead of US Open mixed doubles event

Emma Raducanu has shared what she is scared about when it comes to playing in the mixed doubles at the US Open this year. The fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, for the first time, will be played in two different parts. The first part will consist of a mixed doubles event, which will be played as a standalone competition with a prize money worth of $1 million up for grabs.

The competition will feature 16 teams, out of which eight will qualify directly based on the players' singles rankings, whereas the other eight will qualify via the wildcard entry. One of the teams that has received a wildcard entry into the main draw consists of Raducanu, who will partner with men’s world number two, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

Raducanu, who has already reached New York to feature in the mega-event, has been quoted in a report of the British media outlet Daily Express, where she revealed that she is scared of facing the serve of men’s players in the competition, such as America’s Ben Shelton and Reilly Opelka.

“I think I'm most scared to play certain shots,” said Raducanu while laughing. “Ben Shelton's serve, that scares me. That's probably one in particular. And then obviously all the guys. It's very difficult to return their serves. Reilly Opelka? He's serving from a stepladder. It's incredible. But of course I'm very excited. It's such a unique opportunity, and I think a lot of the females will probably be feeling the same way. Returning the guys' serve is quite difficult.”

Big stars missing

The tournament has attracted a lot of big-name players but both the women’s and men’s world number one’s participation remains unlikely. Women’s top-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka decided to withdraw from the competition after her partner, Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov was forced to withdraw from the US Open completely after failing to recover pectoral muscle injury.

He suffered that injury in the fourth round contest at Wimbledon against the men’s top-seeded player Jannik Sinner. Dimitrov was in complete control during the match after winning the first two sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5 and was serving to make it 2-2. However, all his efforts went in vain as he had failed to conclude the match and as a result, Sinner managed to qualify for the quarterfinal.

On the other hand, Sinner is now facing a tough task of finding a new partner as his previous partner, Emma Navarro, decided to play in the WTA 500 event the week before the start of the main draw of the US Open. The reason behind that decision seems to be Navarro’s recent struggles on the hard court. Ever since playing at Wimbledon, Navarro has featured in three events and won just one match while suffering three defeats. At the DC Open, Navarro lost to Greece’s Maria Sakkari in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 7-6. At the Canadian Open, Navarro’s journey ended in the third round as she lost to Dayana Yastremska in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-4.

According to the statement issued on the US Open’s official page on X, Sinner has until Sunday, 2 PM local time to find a new partner. “Each of their original partners are allowed to repair up until 2 PM on Sunday, August 17 and maintain direct entry dependent on their combined team singles ranking, as of the entry deadline on July 28, with their new partner,” was the statement.

Raducanu is going through a good patch of form, as in the recent past, she has managed to produce some impressive performances. Her most recent outing was at the Cincinnati Open, where her journey ended in the third round as she lost to Sabalenka in a hard-fought contest which lasted more than three hours with a score of 7-6, 4-6, 7-6.