Tim Henman says Emma Raducanu must do one thing to beat world's best ahead of Indian Wells

British No.1 Emma Raducanu must focus on the physical side of her game to get "fitter, stronger, and faster" and challenge the best players in women's tennis, according to Tim Henman.

Raducanu announced herself on the world stage by winning the US Open 2021 as a 19-year-old qualifier, but has failed to return to those heights in the years since – having not won a title and only made it past the third round of a major once.

There were green shoots for the Brit in 2025, who suffered fewer of the injury setbacks that have plagued her previously and has returned to the top 30, but she arrives at the Indian Wells Open 2026 this week after an eventful start to the new year.

The 23-year-old went out of the Australian Open in the second round, split with coach Francis Roig, then reached her first final since her US Open win at the Transylvania Open in February, only to suffer a heavy defeat, and has also signed a big new sponsorship deal with Uniqlo.

Raducanu has said she wants to return to the more aggressive style of play that delivered her Flushing Meadows triumph in 2021 but, speaking at a Sky Sports Tennis event, Henman made it clear what he believes she should be working on if she is to fulfil her potential and challenge the top players.

He said: "I understand the way that she wants to play; she's an attacking baseline player. If I could add one element to her game, it would only be on the physical side. To get stronger, to get faster, to hit the ball harder.

"Her game, technically, people will try and point to changes, whether it's her serve or her forehand, it's nothing to do with that. We've seen that she won the US Open; her game is good enough. Tiny little tinkering, whether it's the string or the weight of the racket, it's not about that at this stage.

"You look at the physicality of [Aryna] Sabalenka, of [Iga] Świątek, of Coco Gauff, of [Elena] Rybakina. Emma's not at that level and to a certain extent, with her physique, she might not ever be at that level but she's got to close the gap.

"So for me it's nothing technical or mental, I'd be focusing wholeheartedly on that physical side so that then when she's stronger, she hits the ball harder and she'll have more physical resilience. She won't get those little injuries and setbacks."

"She does like to tinker with these things," he continued. "I can't sit and say she lost that match because of her forehand. Maybe her shot selection is wrong and she goes down the line too early but it's not to do with her forehand.

"I don't buy into all the technical chat. It's about her, in my opinion, getting fitter, stronger, and faster, hitting the ball harder, being able to do it for longer. Patterns of play, if you want to go down the line, go down the line but don't miss, keep the ball in. In my mind, it's not that complicated."

He added: "It's physical work off the court, it's physical work on the practice court, it's more matches, less interruptions and setbacks. They're all pieced together. In December, when she has those setbacks, you can't do the hard yards to give yourself the foundation. That's why she's playing catch-up in Australia. She's got to do that more consistently, more often."

Raducanu has reunited with Mark Petchey ahead of Indian Wells, where she is seeded 25th and will begin her challenge in the second round later this week.

"I worked with three coaches in 15 years. I liked consistency and continuity but that's not what Emma does," Henman said. "When will we not be surprised when she makes coaching changes? Because that is what she does.

"Petch is someone that has worked with her a few times before and she feels comfortable with but obviously Petch has his broadcasting commitments, so that's not going to be a full-time position, that's not going to last long.

"I wonder whether, in some respects, she's better off without a coach. Just accepts the responsibility and just plays. Perhaps that would enable her to really accept the responsibility of her game style. I don't know what she'll do next and she probably doesn't either."

Though it's now 10 coaches in the last five years for Raducanu, Henman believes it's too early to say whether her hiring and firing approach will prove detrimental to her career.

"Only time will tell," he said. "You reflect on the last three or four years. What she did in America, we've talked a lot about that. She's 25 in the world but I think there are a lot of us who believe she can be a lot better and it's a little bit like where Jack [Draper]'s been with these injuries. Jack's had longer periods where he's played but whether it's a change in coach or setback physically, it's still too stop-start.

"It's probably more from a physical point of view that she has to become physically more resilient, to be stronger and faster to compete with the biggest hitters and the best players. 25 in the world and I think she can be a lot better, so let's see whether she can implement that."

Sky Sports is the year-round home of tennis. Watch the biggest stars on the ATP and WTA Tours at the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open live this March, exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW.

Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.