Emma Raducanu returned from long-term injury problems in January (Picture: Getty)
Emma Raducanu says she is ‘mentally and emotionally exhausted’ after the British tennis star’s shock defeat at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Raducanu was slammed by her Billie Jean King Cup captain and ridiculed by fans after an embarrassing first-round loss to Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle.
It was a surprising result in the Spanish capital just one month ahead of Grand Slam action getting underway at the French Open, where Raducanu will need to progress through qualifying to make the main draw due to her current ranking.
Raducanu went into her match against Carle in impressive form having won four matches in a row and looking strong in a narrow loss to world No.1 Iga Swiatek.
But the 21-year-old, a one-time major champion who was ranked in the world top 10 only two years ago, was nowhere near her best level as she lost to Carle.
Why did Raducanu’s level drop against Carle?
Maria Lourdes Carle beat Emma Raducanu 6-2 6-2 in Madrid (Picture: Getty)
Emma Raducanu has blamed the absence of her coach Nick Cavaday as one of the reasons for her poor performance in Madrid.
‘I definitely missed him not being here so that kinda sucked,’ Raducanu said. ‘I had Iain Bates (the Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis) here, which was great that he was able to drop everything and come out.
‘It’s not easy but then the circumstances wouldn’t align to how you want them to. I just didn’t really deal with everything too well.’
What did Raducanu say about exhaustion?
Emma Raducanu admitted ahead of the match that she was feeling ‘tired’ and once again opened up about fatigue afterwards.
‘I think from the performance today it was very clear that mentally and emotionally I was exhausted,’ Raducanu said after her defeat to Carle. ‘I would say the last few weeks have been a lot.
‘I was trying to push through and I was just unable to push through today. I guess the sport is just pretty brutal.’
When does Roland-Garros 2024 start?
French Open qualifying gets underway on Monday, May 20 and this is likely the path Raducanu will have to take if she wants to play at the Grand Slam event.
Qualifying concludes on Friday, May 24 ahead of the the main draw getting started on Sunday, May 26.
The French Open is one of two major tournaments – along with the Australian Open – that is run over 15 days instead of 14 this year.
Will Raducanu skip this year’s French Open?
Emma Raducanu must make a huge decision over Roland-Garros (Picture: Getty)
Former British tennis star Colin Fleming told Sky Sports: ‘How do you schedule the next few weeks to make sure you do better? Is it miss Rome and go Roland Garros qualifying? Is it to miss the rest of the clay and be ready for the grass?
‘She doesn’t want to play and put in more performances like that, because then it becomes a bit of a habit. She needs to wipe the slate clean and make better decisions.
‘I’d love to see her go to Roland Garros and play, even if it’s qualifying. It would be three weeks from now without Rome, and if she’s fit and healthy, of course she can qualify. Once you’re in the main draw, who knows what can happen.’
How can Raducanu get her confidence back?
Emma Raducanu was ‘really disappointing’ against Maria Lourdes Carle (Picture: Getty)
Anne Keothavong, Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain, added: ‘With Rome, I don’t know what the wildcard situation is there, but maybe in hindsight, it would have been better to take this week off. Should she have used the wildcard in Madrid?
‘It’s a number of weeks between now and the first grass-court event. That’s a long training block and she’s already had eight months off on the sidelines. She has said and proven she gets confidence from the hours she puts in on the practice court.
‘We talk a lot about head, heart and legs, and if your head and your heart aren’t in it, your legs don’t stand a chance. It was really disappointing to see. She said she was tired, but do you talk yourself into more tiredness?’