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Italian Open matchup could be a turning point for Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu

Both were born in Toronto, with Romanian roots. Both were teenagers when they won the U.S. Open. They'll play each over for the first time as pros on Tuesday in Rome.

Seldom do first-round tennis matches between players who have never faced one another in competition come with this many storylines.

That said, given that Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu both came almost out of nowhere to shock the tennis world by winning their first Grand Slam title in the Big Apple, the fact that there's some intense conversation concerning Tuesday's collision at the Italian Open probably isn't that surprising.

Both were born in Toronto. Both have Romanian roots. Both were teenagers when they won the U.S. Open: Andreescu in 2019 and Raducanu last year. Both are finding it a challenge to come up with their next big accomplishment, and both are showing the strain of trying to make it happen.

In many ways, they are two young women dealing with very similar challenges.

"I remember saying, 'I want to play her,'" said Andreescu, referring to watching Raducanu beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the U.S. Open final last year. "And it looks like I got my wish."

By now, all of Canada knows the trials and tribulations of Andreescu, who rocketed to No. 4 in the world in 2019 and won the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete, but is now barely inside the top 100 in the world. There have been injuries and more injuries, but other things as well. The pressure and grind of the women's tour seems to be a greater challenge than ever before, also part of the reason why world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty retired in March at the ripe old age of 25.

Andreescu has been very open about her struggles with the mental challenges of pro tennis.

"I actually wanted to quit the sport," Andreescu said in an interview earlier this year. "It was really bad. I am privileged in a way for having this opportunity and doing all of this ... It was an accumulation of 2 1/2 years. A lot had happened and I just didn't want to deal with anything any more."

Since returning over the winter, for the first time since last October, the results have been mediocre. She lost to Anett Kontaveit early at Indian Wells, fell to Aryna Sabalenka early on clay in Germany, and in Madrid last month lost in the round of 16 to Jessica Pegula. That came after an impressive win over Danielle Collins, which created a new sense of momentum for Andreescu after seeming to get her game back and rolling last September at the U.S. Open before disappearing from the tour again.

"I'm not identifying myself with the sport any more, because I felt like last year if I lost, I hated myself," she said in Madrid last week. "If I won, it was like the best thing ever. Now I'm viewing tennis as just another opportunity to get better as a person and it's something I'm passionate about, so I want to enjoy myself out there."

Like Andreescu, Raducanu won the U.S. Open in her main-draw debut. Since then, the British No. 1 has had to deal with all the attention the London tabloids can dish out, and it seems to have slowed her rise. She's ranked No. 12 in the world, having also dealt with some back problems, but is just 8-10 since winning in New York last fall. She split with coach Torben Beltz this year and has been somewhat of a disappointment, with the back flaring up again.

"I think it's just coming from a lot of intensity and overload," she said. "My back, I'm managing it. Like, it's fine. But it's just trying to adapt again to the long matches, to the intensity."

Andreescu is 21, Raducanu 19. The pressure on these young athletes, mental and physical, is enormous as they travel the world, and it's incredible how quickly critics come to the forefront when they can't immediately demonstrate that they are the next Serena Williams or Steffi Graf.

Iga Swiatek, 20, has taken over from Barty as the top player in the world, but otherwise the rest of the WTA top 10 are 24 or older. Fernandez, meanwhile, has found the going tough this season after breaking through at the U.S. Open last fall and getting to the final, as has 18-year-old Coco Gauff, who looked like she was ready to vault to superstardom immediately when she got to the fourth round of Wimbledon three years ago.

In tennis, it's not always a straight line to the top. Just look at Canada's Denis Shapovalov, anointed the next big name in men's tennis back in 2020. Since then, he has experienced some severe ups and downs. The latest valley came in Rome on Monday, when Shapovalov embarrassed himself by screaming "shut the f--- up" at Italian Open fans in a scene more reminiscent of a professional wrestling match.

Since losing to Rafael Nadal in a quarterfinal at the Australian Open in January, which included Nadal coming to the net to calm his 23-year-old opponent, Shapovalov's results have been spotty and he's slid slightly in the rankings, although still in the top 20.

It's all about potential and expectations. For Andreescu and Raducanu, the expectations are sky-high because they were able to register a major accomplishment very early in their careers. Now both are facing the challenge of doing it again. And again.

So Tuesday's match in Rome should be a fascinating one, particularly since it's on clay, a slower surface that can be more physically demanding. It should be a slugfest.

And perhaps the beginning of an intriguing rivalry.

Damien Cox is a former Star sports reporter who is a current freelance contributing columnist based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @DamoSpin

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Source: https://www.thestar.com/sports/tennis/opinion/2022/05/09/italian-open-matchup-could-be-a-turning-point-for-bianca-andreescu-and-emma-raducanu.html

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