Emma Raducanu Makes ‘Tough’ Confession About Her Game After Disappointing Queen’s Club Championships Exit

Emma Raducanu has lost to top 10 opponents in three of her last four tournaments.

Emma Raducanu Makes ‘Tough’ Confession About Her Game After Disappointing Queen’s Club Championships Exit

Emma Raducanu (via X @JJlovesTennis)

Emma Raducanu’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Queen’s Club Championships were crushed following her loss to Qinwen Zheng at the Queen’s Club Championships. The British star’s loss to the top seed has made her open up about her lack of belief in taking on the top players in the women’s circuit.

Raducanu was the favorite to beat Zheng ahead of their meeting due to the World No.5’s grass-court record. The Chinese star had struggled on the surface last year, claiming just one victory. Also, she had struggled to be at McCartney Kessler in the round of 16, while Raducanu was yet to drop a set at the tournament.

Interestingly, Zheng was all over the British star in the first set and wasted no time to take a 6-2 lead. In the second set, Raducanu changed her tactics, hitting with more power and serving well. She led 3-0 and at one point was 4-2 with the partisan crowd on her side, while Zheng kept slipping and sliding on the court.

The Chinese star changed her shoes to a new pair to fortify her feet before the comeback. She won four consecutive points to turn the tie around, winning 6-2, 6-4 to reach her first grass-court semi-finals. On the other hand, it was a disappointing defeat for Raducanu, who has lost to top 10 opponents in three of her last four tournaments.

During her post-match press conference, she revealed that her focus has slightly shifted from rankings to making sure she is able to compete with higher-ranked players in the women’s circuit:

I think maybe my goals have slightly shifted from being seeded to actually improving my game. When I play those top players, I need to make it closer and feel more competitive rather than just feeling, okay, I get to the third round of a Slam but then lose comfortably to one of the top players. I think I’d rather have a more competitive match, even if that means losing first round, second round, and I think that, to be honest, is how I feel right now.

Raducanu lost to Coco Gauff in straight sets in the fourth round of the Italian Open. She also fell to Iga Swiatek in the second round of the Roland Garros. The 22-year-old has won only three of her 15 matches against players in the top 10. The last time she defeated a top player was at the Miami Open against Emma Navarro.

Emma Raducanu gives scary injury update after losing to Qinwen Zheng

Emma Raducanu struggled with a back problem during her loss to Qinwen Zheng at the Queen’s Club Championships. The British star was treated by the physio in between sets but it persisted for most of the match. This isn’t the first time in recent weeks that she’s struggling with a back problem.

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

At the Strasbourg Open, she struggled with the issue against Danielle Collins in the second round, and that led to her loss. When asked about it during the aforementioned press conference, she revealed that she has been managing the problem for the past three weeks and also took a painkiller during the match:

I have been struggling with my back since Strasbourg, and it’s just been something that’s been on and off. I have been managing it pretty well over the last few weeks, but I guess as the week goes on and I have played five matches now. Even if two were doubles, I think, yeah, it just tests it out. And I just felt it, I think, as the load goes up. They took me off court and taped it to give me some extra stability, and some painkillers. Yeah, that was it.

Raducanu will now look forward to getting back to her best at the Bad Homburg Open ahead of the Wimbledon Championship. Meanwhile, Zheng faced Amanda Anisimova in the semi-final of the Queen’s Club Championships and was beaten in three sets.

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