Boris Becker believes the 'British media' should be 'a lot nicer' to Emma Raducanu as Wimbledon rapidly approaches.
The third major of the year will commence on Monday, with Raducanu poised to lock horns with 17-year-old Mingge Xu in the first round on Monday.
Raducanu looked destined to dominate tennis for many years to come when she upset the odds to secure US Open glory back in 2021.
She has often struggled for consistency in the time since, however, while injuries have also hampered her development.
Boris Becker believes the 'British media' should be 'a lot nicer' to Emma Raducanu as Wimbledon rapidly approaches
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Raducanu has, however, shown signs of improvement in recent months - with the tennis star climbing above Katie Boulter in the rankings to be British No 1.
Becker, speaking to the Daily Mail, believes the British media should be 'nicer' to the 22-year-old as a result while also admitting he feels sympathy for Raducanu, who he insists is 'still a baby'.
The three-time Wimbledon winner stated: "Emma has played better this year. Her focus is more on tennis than it was before.
"On her good day, she is still an unbelievable talent and she is still a baby at 22 years of age. The British media should be a lot nicer to her.
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"I feel for her because I know what she has gone through. It is very difficult to handle the trappings of fame and fortune. I think it is a miracle that I survived, so it's almost normal what happened to Emma.
"Everyone wants a piece of you. You lose your privacy and you don't know how to handle it. It's very, very difficult. It's nothing to do with the forehand and the backhand. It's the side effects that winning and the money and fame has on you.
"Literally the next day, you lose the life you have known. It's difficult to accept and it's difficult to navigate and manage.
"That's why defending my Wimbledon title as an 18 year-old is by far my biggest achievement. Nothing even comes close it.
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Emma Raducanu has enjoyed a positive year so far as Wimbledon 2025 looms
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"If you have won a major once, there is no reason you can't do it again.
"But you have to spend time on the practice court, play the tournaments, be injury free and, most importantly, have a support team that has the same goal.
"In tennis you have to mature quickly to survive. But Emma is doing a much better job this year than she has the last two years."
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Raducanu herself has admitted that she isn't expecting much from this year's Wimbledon, despite her improvement.
The 2021 US Open champion said: "Truthfully I don't expect much from myself this year. I've been dealing with certain things.
"I just want to go out there and embrace the moment, embrace the occasion.
Emma Raducanu has struggled with consistency ever since winning the US Open in 2021
PA"I know there aren't many opportunities to be playing at Wimbledon. You get it once a year and for a finite amount of time.
"I'm just looking forward to going out there and feeling the surroundings and the atmosphere.
"Right now I'm just happy to be at Wimbledon. I think that is a great motivation to just keep going and deal with everything else afterwards."
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