Emma Raducanu Shares Her Clay-Court Strategy: Aiming for Greater Comfort on the Surface
Emma Raducanu She has consistently placed greater importance on the hard-court and grass-court seasons over the clay-court tournaments. Additionally, she hasn’t performed well on clay courts and never managed to make it to the semifinals of a clay 1000-level event. However, as the Italian Open approaches, she has decided to fully commit herself to tackling the difficulties associated with competing on this surface.
Raducanu has made no secret of her discomfort on clay courts. Last year, she shockingly pulled out of the French Open after failing to gain a wildcard into the tournament. Also, she didn’t feature at the Italian Open last season. Now, she’s showing more eagerness to play on clay after picking up a win in Madrid.
The British star won her opening match before losing to Marta Kostyuk In three sets during the second round. Even though she lost, the 21-year-old showcased impressive play and demonstrated significant improvement on clay courts. Following her performance at the Madrid Open, she reclaimed a spot within the world’s top 50 rankings and now has an opportunity to further advance her standing in Rome.
In an interview at the Italian Open, she shared that her aim was to utilize the clay court season effectively to prepare for the grass-court season beginning in June. She further mentioned that she now feels more at ease competing on clay surfaces compared to previous years.
After not qualifying for the French Open last year because of her rank, Raducanu will now participate in the main draw. As the previous World No. 10, she has an opportunity to gain additional points at the Italian Open, potentially improving her standing.
Emma Raducanu is looking at the Italian Open as "a clean slate."
At the beginning of the year, Emma Raducanu experienced a slump in performance. Following her advancement to the third round of the Australian Open, she managed to win only one out of five matches in various women's circuit events. Her turnaround occurred during the Miami Open. turned things around and secured four consecutive wins In the said interview, she shared that she is treating the clay season as a new beginning.
Raducanu was heavily criticized for skipping the Open de Rouen ahead of the Madrid Open after reaching the semifinals of the Miami Open She aims to silence her doubters at the Italian Open.
Emma Raducanu’s draw at the Italian Open
Emma Raducanu is yet to discover her first-round opponent at the Italian Open. It will be against a qualifier and until the qualifying rounds of the tournament ends on Tuesday. However, if she does prevail in the opening match, she could then face World No.20 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round.
Raducanu defeated Alexandrova at the Australian Open in January, but the Russian defeated the British star at the Qatar Open the following month. It will be their first meeting on clay. Alexandrova has a better experience of the surface as she recently reached the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open.
Meanwhile, Raducanu, who was knocked out of the Madrid Open in the second round is projected to play Coco Gauff in the round of 16. It will be her biggest opponent before the last eight of the competition.
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