Emma Raducanu Shares Why She Broke down in Tears After Winning Her Opening Match in Eastbourne

Emma Raducanu came from behind to beat American Ann Li in three sets at the Eastbourne International.

Emma Raducanu Shares Why She Broke down in Tears After Winning Her Opening Match in Eastbourne

Emma Raducanu (via X/Raducanu News)

Emma Raducanu battled her way to the second round of the Eastbourne International after beating American Ann Li in three sets. The win was her first since the Queen’s Club Championships. However, there were worrying scenes at the end of the match as Raducanu was in tears. The Brit later revealed the reason she got emotional.

Raducanu pulled out of last week’s WTA 500 tournament in Berlin due to a recurring back spasm problem she suffered at Queen’s. She needed to compete in Eastbourne as a warm-up ahead of her fourth Wimbledon appearance. In her first round match against Li, the British star looked uncomfortable.

She began with an error-strewn opening set, giving her American opponent enough room to punish her, especially during the tie break. However, it was in the second set that she found a way back into the match, forcing the match to a decider. In the third set, she completed the comeback, winning 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-1.

Nonetheless, Raducanu appeared to be flat as she struggled to get out of first gear during the course of the match and sometimes looked a little bit confused as she struggled with a lack of energy. As she shook hands with Li, she broke down in tears on the court, delaying her on-court interview.

During her interview with the BBC, Raducanu was asked why she got emotional after her three-set win. The 22-year-old revealed that she had received some bad news before the match and suggested she wanted to keep it private:

I received some pretty bad news so I would like to keep it personal if that’s okay, but it was difficult and very emotional at the end and probably just a release of different emotions. I’d prefer to not go in to it, if that’s OK, but I just received some really bad news so I’m trying to overcome that in the background.

The British No.1 added that she didn’t play well in the first set because she wasn’t mentally present in the match and that a British player comforted her when she had gotten the bad news:

Mentally, in the first set, I wasn’t really present. Fran Jones (British player) was there for me because she’s a good friend of mine, so she knows what’s going on behind the scenes. Having her support me was so meaningful.

Raducanu will hope to have a good run at the Eastbourne International ahead of the Wimbledon Championship. She has reached the fourth round of Wimbledon twice since her debut in 2021. The grass-court Grand Slam tournament is set to kick off on June 30 in London.

Emma Raducanu is proud of coming from behind to beat Ann Li in Eastbourne

Emma Raducanu recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the first set and fell short in a tie-break, in which she had led 5-3. But in the second and third set, she rediscovered her game against Ann Li, securing her place in the round of 16 of the Eastbourne International. The British star revealed during her on-court interview that the victory meant a lot to her:

Emma Raducanu (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Emma Raducanu (via X/The Tennis Letter)

I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments. It really meant a lot to me and I’m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set. It was tough, it was up and down. But from the middle of the second set I think I found another gear and another level.

Raducanu will meet Australian teenager Maya Joint for a place in the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 tournament. The tie is expected to be a tough one as the Australian surprisingly secured a 7-5, 6-2 win over former Wimbledon runners-up Ons Jabeur on Monday (June 22). She will hope to get the better of Raducanu.

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