Category: Emma Raducanu

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Emma Raducanu says she is still ‘managing’ a back issue ahead of the Italian Open as her body gets used to the ‘intensity’ of her first full season on the WTA Tour.

Raducanu, 19, has struggled with several niggling injuries this year, including blisters on her racquet hand at the Australian Open and blisters on her feet during the Billie Jean King Cup.

“I think it’s just coming from a lot of intensity and overload,” said Raducanu ahead of her Italian Open first-round clash with 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

“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.

“I think that all of the small sort of niggles I’m getting, they’re all related and connected to each other, when something is overcompensating perhaps. Yeah, we’ll see.”

Despite her injury concerns, Raducanu has enjoyed an encouraging clay season so far.

She won her first professional match on the surface at the Billie Jean King Cup, reached the quarter-finals in Stuttgart and was solid in Madrid before losing to Kalinina.

She will continue to work with Iain Bates, the Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis, in Rome after splitting with coach Torben Beltz.

Comparing the conditions at the Italian Open to Madrid, which is at altitude, Raducanu said: “I think here is completely opposite.

“It’s quite heavy and slow, so there’s going to be a lot longer points. It will be interesting to see what the differences are. But I can already feel them on the court tennis-wise.”

Raducanu has a tantalising draw in Rome as she opens against Andreescu and would then face either Naomi Osaka or Sara Sorribes-Tormo next.

Andreescu has not been able to stay at the top of game after winning the US Open in 2019 and is looking to climb back up the rankings after a break from the tour.

“Of course, we are both pretty good players,” Raducanu said about Andreescu.

“It’s going to be a good match-up, for sure. She’s a great athlete and obviously a champion. She’s got a really good attitude. Yeah, I think it’s going to be interesting.”

Emma Raducanu says she is still ‘managing’ a back issue ahead of the Italian Open as her body gets used to the ‘intensity’ of her first full season on the WTA Tour.

Raducanu, 19, has struggled with several niggling injuries this year, including blisters on her racquet hand at the Australian Open and blisters on her feet during the Billie Jean King Cup.

“I think it’s just coming from a lot of intensity and overload,” said Raducanu ahead of her Italian Open first-round clash with 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

“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.

“I think that all of the small sort of niggles I’m getting, they’re all related and connected to each other, when something is overcompensating perhaps. Yeah, we’ll see.”

Despite her injury concerns, Raducanu has enjoyed an encouraging clay season so far.

She won her first professional match on the surface at the Billie Jean King Cup, reached the quarter-finals in Stuttgart and was solid in Madrid before losing to Kalinina.

She will continue to work with Iain Bates, the Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis, in Rome after splitting with coach Torben Beltz.

Comparing the conditions at the Italian Open to Madrid, which is at altitude, Raducanu said: “I think here is completely opposite.

“It’s quite heavy and slow, so there’s going to be a lot longer points. It will be interesting to see what the differences are. But I can already feel them on the court tennis-wise.”

Raducanu has a tantalising draw in Rome as she opens against Andreescu and would then face either Naomi Osaka or Sara Sorribes-Tormo next.

Andreescu has not been able to stay at the top of game after winning the US Open in 2019 and is looking to climb back up the rankings after a break from the tour.

“Of course, we are both pretty good players,” Raducanu said about Andreescu.

“It’s going to be a good match-up, for sure. She’s a great athlete and obviously a champion. She’s got a really good attitude. Yeah, I think it’s going to be interesting.”