'I'm a loner' – Raducanu enjoying independence as she prepares for Italian Open

Emma Raducanu has called herself a “loner” as she continues to coach herself in preparation for the Italian Open in Rome.

She gets her competition underway with a clash against Bianca Andreescu, and will be encouraged by her recent displays on clay, after making the quarter-finals in Stuttgart and the last-16 in Madrid.

It will be a battle between two recent US Open winners, with reigning champion Raducanu taking on the 2019 winner.

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Having split with coach Torben Beltz last month, the British number one is enjoying her independence after being swamped by people following her stunning victory in New York last September.

“I’d describe myself as a loner,” she said. For the past year, I’ve had a lot of people around me a lot and very often. To be on my own is interesting because I’m kind of finding out a lot about myself, understanding what I need and what I don’t need.”

Raducanu is adapting her game for different surfaces, and said “Clay is very new to me”.

“I definitely feel like I have been progressing with each week, improving, getting a better understanding of how to play points, when to stay in the point or when to stay aggressive”, she added.

Despite not having a full-time coach, the 19-year-old is happy with her progress but admits, “I don’t think I’m like the finished product at all. But, yeah, I’m heading in a good direction.”

The Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis, Iain Bates, has been providing support for Raducanu and will continue to work with the teenager.

Rome is the final stop before she makes her first appearance at the French Open, which is the only Grand Slam she is yet to feature in since bursting onto the professional stage.

Raducanu will be hoping to build her confidence for Paris with a strong performance in Italy. She knows victory over Andreescu could set up a tantalising tie with former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, who needs to get past Sara Sorribes-Tormo in the first round.

One slight concern for Raducanu on arrival in Rome is a back injury which she picked up in her Madrid Open defeat to Anhelina Kalinina. She says she is “managing” the problem, which she believes is due to the “intensity” of being on tour.

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