Emma Raducanu Archives

Are Nadal, Alcaraz, Djokovic playing Italian Open? When does it start?

May 2, 2024

The clay swing heads to Rome in May for the Italian Open as preparations continue for the French Open.

The combined ATP and WTA 1000 event is the last big tournament before players make their way to Roland-Garros, which starts on Sunday, May 26, live on Eurosport and discovery+.

Last year saw Daniil Medvedev and Elena Rybakina claim the singles titles, but will they repeat their respective triumphs this season?

The Italian Open will see almost all the top stars from both tours in action, and we run through all you need to know, including when it starts, what’s the schedule, when is the draw, and who’s playing…

When is the Italian Open?

Qualifying for the Italian Open starts on Monday, May 6 ahead of the main draw on Wednesday, May 8.

The finals will be held on the weekend of May 18.

As with the Madrid Open, the 32 seeds get a first-round bye so they enter the tournament in the second round.

Play will start at 10am UK time every day until Thursday, May 16 when it begins at midday. There will be evening sessions starting at 6pm each day until finals weekend, when play starts at midday on both days.

When is the Italian Open draw?

The draw is expected to be held on Monday, May 6.

Are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal playing the Italian Open?

Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal look set to play in Rome.

It will be the first clay tournament that the two tennis greats have contested since the 2022 French Open, when Nadal beat Djokovic on his way to a 14th title.

Djokovic missed the Madrid Open and has only played one clay tournament in Monte Carlo, where he made the semis.

He is a 10-time winner of the Italian Open and looks set to play the tournament for the final time ahead of his potential retirement this year.

Will Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner play the Italian Open?

Both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have injury concerns ahead of the Italian Open.

Alcaraz has been battling a forearm injury that forced him to miss Monte Carlo and Barcelona. He made the quarter-finals in Madrid but admitted to having “difficult feelings” towards the end of his loss against Andrey Rublev.

After a stunning start to the year the Italian could have a chance to get to world No. 1 in Rome if he is healthy to play.

Who else is playing the Italian Open?

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev will be back in Rome along with Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud.

Andy Murray will not be playing as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka will lead the women’s draw.

Elena Rybakina celebrates winning the Italian Open in 2023

Image credit: Getty Images

Neither won the title last year as Swiatek retired with injury in the quarter-finals and Sabalenka was shocked in the second round by Sofia Kenin.

Elena Rybakina was the champion in 2023 and she will be aiming to continue her strong start to the season with another title run.

World No. 3 Coco Gauff could close the gap on world No. 1 Swiatek if she can go far in Rome.

Emma Raducanu’s participation is uncertain. She has not been announced as a wildcard entry but could enter qualifying with her protected ranking.

When is the French Open?

The 2024 French Open main draw starts on Sunday, May 26, with the tournament one of two Grand Slams, along with the Australian Open, that is run over 15 days instead of 14 this year.

The singles finals will be held on the weekend of June 8.

Play starts at 10am UK time every day except for finals weekend, and there will be an evening session scheduled from 7.15pm UK time every day until the semi-finals start on Thursday, June 6.

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‘Tired’ Raducanu ‘trying to manage energy levels’ ahead of Madrid Open

April 23, 2024

British tennis star Emma Raducanu admits to “tired” due to the number of matches she has played lately.

The 2021 US Open Grand Slam champion has had a busy few weeks on the clay thanks to her best run of form in over a year.

The Pole won that clash 7-6 6-3, and Raducanu says such a volume of matches has taken its toll on her body.

“I’m trying to learn how to manage energy levels,” she told Sky Sports. “I’m not going to deny that I am tired.

“But I think that’s it just accepting that you’re not going to feel 100% and try to save everything for the fight, because the mental side can get you over the line.”

Raducanu is still getting used to being back on the tennis tour, having missed the majority of the 2023 season due to injury.

Her form has taken a real upturn in recent weeks, also reaching the third round at Indian Wells before losing to Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.

As such, she has climbed up to 221 in the world rankings.

The 21-year-old’s next quest is the Madrid Open, which serves as part of her build up to next month’s French Open, although she will either have to get a wild card or come through qualifying to play at Roland-Garros.

Iga Swiatek (l.) mit Emma Raducanu

Image credit: Imago

The Brit will take on Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round in Spain, and says her game is in a good place ahead of the clash.

“I feel I am playing really well and racking up confidence week-by-week,” he added. “It’s a challenge coming here to Madrid. It’s the first outdoor tournament I’ve played since Indian Wells so I have had to adjust quickly.

“I’m trying to freshen up physically as much as possible before tomorrow. This was the last place I came to last year before surgery and then I missed eight months.

“‘So for me, from now, I have zero points to defend for the rest of the year, so everything is a gain and everything is a win.

“Coming here, I feel really confident mentally. I’m looking forward to the rest of the clay season.”

Keothovong urges Raducanu to be selective over schedule

Meanwhile, Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothovong thinks Raducanu should avoid playing too much, too soon.

The Madrid Open will be the 21-year-old’s third event in as many weeks, while she still has the Rome Masters to come before Roland Garros.

“When you’ve had a period of time on the sidelines you soon realise how much you miss the sport and how much you want to be out there competing,” she told Sky Sports.

“Despite having nothing to defend for the rest of the year I don’t think we’re going to see her playing week in, week out for the rest of the year. She doesn’t need to.”

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When is Raducanu playing first match in Madrid as she ‘racks up confidence’?

April 23, 2024

Emma Raducanu will look to continue her encouraging start to her clay season at this week’s Madrid Open after being awarded a wildcard.

Raducanu won four clay matches in a row across the Billie Jean King Cup and Stuttgart Open.

The results saw Raducanu move 82 places up the WTA rankings and she will be aiming for more in Madrid.

When is Raducanu playing in Madrid?

Raducanu was originally scheduled to play her opening match against former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova on Tuesday, April 23.

However, after Pliskova withdrew from the tournament, Raducanu’s match was pushed back to Wednesday, April 24.

She will play in the third match on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, likely starting around 2pm UK time.

Who is Raducanu playing in Madrid?

Rather than a former world No. 1, Raducanu will open in Madrid against qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle, who is ranked at No. 82 in the world.

The winner of the match will play 17th seed Veronika Kudermetova.

Raducanu could then meet eighth seed Jelena Ostapenko in the third round.

British No. 1 Katie Boulter has a first-round bye and will open against either 19-year-old wildcard Robin Montgomery or Elina Avanesyan.

The winner could meet world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the last 32.

Harriet Dart has qualified for the main draw and opens against Cristina Bucsa in the first round.

Raducanu returns to Madrid ‘in a better place’

Madrid was the last tournament Raducanu visited a year ago before undergoing surgery.

A year on she looks to be building confidence and playing some of her best tennis since winning the US Open in 2021.

“I feel good in terms of my tennis. I feel like I am playing really well, I have racked up confidence week by week,” she told Sky Sports.

Emma Raducanu (R) lost to Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart

Image credit: Getty Images

“It’s a challenge coming here because it’s different conditions, it’s the first outdoor tournament I have played since Indian Wells. It’s not much time but I have had to adjust quickly and I feel pretty good here.

“This was the last place I came to last year before surgery and I pulled out on site. Then I had surgery and missed the rest of the year.

“From now I have zero to defend for the rest of the year so everything is a gain. Thinking how far I came since last year is a great thing. I feel a lot better, I’m in a lot better place with my tennis, mentally I feel really confident and I am just looking forward to the rest of the clay season.”

Raducanu is next set to play the Italian Open and then the French Open.

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‘She has the game’ – Swiatek ends Raducanu run in Stuttgart, Sabalenka stunned

April 19, 2024

Emma Raducanu’s run at the Stuttgart Open came to an end against Iga Swiatek as the world No. 1 earned an “intense” straight-sets quarter-final victory on Friday.

The Brit fell to a 7-6(2) 6-3 defeat in just over two hours as Swiatek set up a semi-final date with Elena Rybakina to continue her bid for a third consecutive title in Germany.

“It was a pretty intense match,” Swiatek said. “I was happy that I was able to keep the intensity even though we played some tough games for like two hours.

“It wasn’t easy. I had a lot of break points which I didn’t convert so still I’m happy that I could finish it with a better score in the second set than in the first.”

Swiatek is yet to lose at the event, winning all 10 of her matches so far, but was pushed hard by Raducanu in the opening set.

The former US Open champion went toe-to-toe with Swiatek as the players earned one break each before the Pole took control in a tie-break.

The second set was more decisive from Swiatek, who did not face a single break point and took two of the seven she earned to march into the last four.

Swiatek’s head-to-head record against Raducanu now stands at a perfect 3-0, the four-time major champion winning every set in those matches, but she believes the young Brit can climb the rankings once more.

“There are a lot of factors coming in if you want to stay consistently at the top but I hope [Raducanu] will be able to do it,” Swiatek said.

“For sure she has the game but it’s not easy.”

Raducanu bowed out with her head held high as her comeback from an injury-hit 2023 continues.

Her wins over Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova in Stuttgart followed up two victories at the Billie Jean King Cup to mark the first time the Brit has won four matches in a row since her stunning triumph at Flushing Meadows in 2021.

Swiatek is gearing up for a tilt at a fourth Roland-Garros title in five years and will go to Paris as the two-time defending champion when the second Grand Slam of the year kicks off on May 20, live on Eurosport and discovery+.

Rybakina digs in for win

Rybakina was first to book her spot in the final four, reaching the semi-finals in Stuttgart for the first time by beating Jasmine Paolini in three sets.

The fourth seed triumphed 6-3 5-7 6-3 as she bids for a third title of the season in her first tournament appearance since losing the Miami Open final to Danielle Collins.

Rybakina and Swiatek’s meeting will be a repeat of the Qatar Open final, where the world No. 1 triumphed in straight sets in February.

Sabalenka stunned by Vondrousova

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka crashed out to Marketa Vondrousova in an eventful two-hour quarter-final clash.

The Wimbledon champion, seeded sixth in Stuttgart, had not beaten her Belarusian counterpart for six years, but came from behind to win 3-6 6-3 7-5.

Victory meant Vondrousova has reached a semi-final for the first time since her shock win at SW19 last year, and she will face Coco Gauff or Marta Kostyuk for a place in the final.

An unpredictable match featured 13 breaks of serve and saw Sabalenka hit 35 winners to her Czech opponent’s 17, but rack up 48 unforced errors to 19.

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‘I can just swing and enjoy it’ – Raducanu sets up Swiatek clash with win over Noskova

April 18, 2024

Emma Raducanu impressively beat Linda Noskova in straight sets to set up a clash with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the Stuttgart Open quarter-finals.

Former US Open champion Raducanu powered through the first set in 27 minutes with a bagel and went on to win 6-0 7-5 against world No. 31 Noskova.

Speaking after the win, Raducanu said: “I must say I am not too surprised because I have been working really hard on the training court and I knew it was just a matter of time.

“I don’t think this is my best, I still have a long way to go but I am really happy that the rewards are starting to come on the match court because you know how it is when you are training day in, day out and the results aren’t going your way.

“It’s never that far away I guess and that’s something I have been learning.

“Going through everything I have gone through after the US Open and then last year with eight months out with surgery, it gives you a different appreciation.”

Swiatek has won both previous meetings against Raducanu at Indian Wells in 2023 and in the Stuttgart quarters two years ago.

“I have come a long way in two years and matured a lot,” said Raducanu. “She [Swiatek] has achieved so much.

“It’s a match where I have nothing to lose. I can just swing and enjoy it. I am looking forward to it.”

More to follow

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‘I’ve come a long way’ – Raducanu celebrates ‘milestone moment’ with Kerber win

April 18, 2024

Emma Raducanu believes she is playing some “really good tennis” as she celebrated a “milestone moment” by beating Angelique Kerber at the Stuttgart Open.

The win came almost exactly a year after Raducanu lost by the same scoreline to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart.

After that defeat, she shut down her season and underwent surgery on her wrists and ankle.

“It’s a bit of a milestone moment for me, and I just feel like I have come a long way in that year,” Raducanu said after beating Kerber.

Raducanu’s victory continued a brilliant first week on clay in 2024.

Raducanu will now be looking to reach the Stuttgart quarters when she faces Linda Noskova on Thursday.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tired, but I would way rather be in this position where I have played a lot of matches and I’m feeling fatigued than being super fresh and losing,” said Raducanu.

“It’s funny, because you always want something that you can’t have.

“But I am playing some really good tennis. I feel like I’m playing level-wise, I knew it before I went to Fed Cup even, like, training, I was playing really well. I think everyone that I was practicing with can attest to that too.

“I think it’s a combination of doing good practice weeks, doing the right things, I am really enjoying working with Nick [Cavaday] my coach. It’s great to have a familiar face, but we are also working really well together as a team.”

Former US Open champion Raducanu said at the Billie Jean King Cup that she feels she is “playing the best tennis” of her career at the moment.

She is 8-5 for the season and seems to be building confidence and momentum.

“I think my serve is more of a weapon now,” she said.

“I think last weekend I played some great tennis. Obviously, it wasn’t a lot of time to turn over since last weekend. Going back up again tomorrow, it’s more just a challenge of the body, I’d say, but I think I’m mentally in a good place. I’m taking a lot of confidence from the training I’m doing.

“I feel like I can actually lean on that more so now because I’m actually doing the work, whereas last year it was very difficult.”

Raducanu won her only previous meeting against Noskova, a hard-fought three-set clash at the 2022 French Open.

Noskova, 19, was impressive in beating Ostapenko in straight sets in the first round in Stuttgart and started the year by making the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

‘Wow, world class!’ – Noskova wins incredible point against Raducanu

Looking ahead to the match, Raducanu said: “I played her in a three-hour slog outdoors at the French Open. It was raining and heavy.

“I think it’s going to be a tough match of course and she’s in great form.

“She is a big hitter, big ball striker, aggressive tennis, I don’t expect very long points. It’s going to be a good match.”

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Raducanu cruises past Kerber in straight sets, Gauff battles past Vickery

April 17, 2024

Emma Raducanu completed a comfortable 6-2 6-1 victory over Angelique Kerber to book her place in the last 16 of the Stuttgart Open.

The Brit picked up where she left off in the Billie Jean King Cup and looked sharp in downing her German opponent in less than an hour and a half.

Raducanu will next play Linda Noskova, who earlier beat Laura Siegemund in three sets.

“It was obviously very difficult to play Angie because she has so much history behind her,” Raducanu said. “You’re not just playing Angie Kerber, you’re playing the person who’s achieved all those amazing results.

“It’s definitely one you have to get your mind around and not try get psyched out and just play the ball in front of you.

“It wasn’t the prettiest match but I just really tried to focus on the next ball ahead because there were some really long games that were back and forth. I’m just happy to have got through.”

Both sets began with three consecutive breaks of serve in Raducanu’s favour as the Brit came up with the cleaner and more accurate ground strokes.

She also showed all her defensive capabilities to save nine of the 11 break points she faced in an intriguing battle.

After coming up with a big hold to move 4-2 clear in the opener, Raducanu then secured a double break and served out to take the first set.

The pair then traded blows to begin the second, but it was once again Raducanu who was the more consistent.

She eventually ended Kerber’s resistance when she moved a double break ahead at 4-1, and although she sparked fears when she called the trainer, she eased to the winning line.

Gauff comes through marathon encounter

Coco Gauff of the United States in action against Sachia Vickery of the United States in the second round on Day Three of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart 2024.

Image credit: Getty Images

Coco Gauff moved into the quarter-finals after a hard-fought 6-3 4-6 7-5 win over her American compatriot Sachia Vickery.

The match lasted almost two and a half hours and featured 15 breaks of serve but it was Gauff who prevailed to set up a meeting with either Qinwen Zheng or Marta Kostyuk in the last eight.

Vickery received a standing ovation leaving centre court for playing her part in an enthralling encounter, but it will be little consolation for the 28-year-old qualifier, who had a chance to move 5-2 ahead in the decider.

But Gauff, the No. 3 seed, defied 15 double faults to come up with the goods when she needed to most and book her progression.

“I just stayed aggressive,” Gauff said on court. “She played well and I think I did a good job of staying in the match.

“It’s most people’s first clay tournament of the year so are trying to find their game again and find how to play on clay again.

“When you’re higher ranked you maybe have a little more experience in the clutch moments.”

Gauff, last year’s US Open champion, raced into a 3-0 lead and saved a host of break points to come through a tight first set.

Her battling qualities were on display again early in the second as she survived another five break points but Vickery eventually made one count in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead.

Remarkably, that was the first of eight consecutive breaks of serve that saw Vickery level the contest at a set apiece, with double faults mounting up for Gauff.

Gauff took a 2-0 lead in the decider before losing the next four games as Vickery got herself within touching distance of an upset win, but there was time for another twist or two.

After missing the chance to lead 5-2, back-to-back double faults gave Gauff the break back and it went from bad to worse for the qualifier.

Two love games in a row saw Gauff move 6-5 clear and she capped off a whirlwind victory with a superb crosscourt winner.

Jabeur snaps losing streak

Elsewhere, Ons Jabeur snapped a five-game losing streak with a 2-6 6-3 7-6(1) win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The world No. 9 hadn’t tasted success since beating Raducanu in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of February but recovered well from dropping the opening set and will face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini next.

Her struggles have had such an impact that Jabeur contemplated pulling out but will now hope she can use this victory as a springboard to rediscover her best form.

“I have thought about withdrawing from this tournament so many times because I couldn’t take another loss,” she told reporters. “It was very, very difficult.”