Former US Open champion Raducanu has endured another stop-start season after picking up a virus in February, with the after-effects limiting her to only two tournaments since.
Raducanu made her return in Strasbourg this week after a two-month absence, losing in straight sets to France’s Diane Perry.
It will be interesting to see what 23-year-old Raducanu’s expectations at Roland Garros are.
Her performances at the Grand Slams have generally been disappointing and the limp manner in which she lost in the Australian Open second round was particularly disheartening.
Shortly afterwards she parted ways with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig and has now rehired Andrew Richardson – the man who helped her shock the world by winning the 2021 US Open as a teenage qualifier.
Raducanu has only gone past the third round of a Grand Slam once since then.
The clay is not a surface she has ever felt completely comfortable on and it has also exacerbated a long-standing back issue.
If Richardson returning is going to spark a revival in Raducanu’s career it would likely not happen over the next fortnight, given her lack of match fitness and a tricky draw.
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