“I had no toenails,” Emma Raducanu shockingly reveals her injury details before notching up her maiden clay-court career win
Follow Us
Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu, the British tennis sensation, has “no toenails left” after a gruelling round of preparation for her maiden clay-court appearance of her blossoming career.
In her first competitive clay match on Friday, the 2021 US Open champion defeated Tereza Martincova 7-5, 7-5. Following Harriet Dart’s 6-1, 6-0 loss to Marketa Vondrousova earlier in the day, this result balanced the scales in Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic.
“Clay could be one of my strongest surfaces”- Emma Raducanu
During the draw ceremony in Prague, the 19-year-old Raducanu revealed, “I have no toenails. Just my foot, my shoes, they’ve just been sliding around a lot. I had a small niggle in Miami, but now I have no physical thing.”
Raducanu isn’t the only one suffering due to her latest ailment, either, as British captain Anne Keothavong joked: “We’re all a little scarred by Emma’s toes.”
Emma Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam championship in New York last year, winning a stunning victory at Flushing Meadows after a strong showing at Wimbledon. She rose from 150th place in August of last year to 12th place in the women’s rankings. However, she has never played on clay, the slowest and most challenging of all surfaces.
The teenager remarked, “I genuinely believe that clay could be one of my strongest surfaces because of the moving aspect. I do like moving. I feel like I have a lot more potential physically. And I do enjoy sliding. After spending more time on this surface, I’m sure I’ll time it better and learn more about the surface.”
Emma Raducanu is all set to be up against Marketa Vondrousova
Three more matches are scheduled for Saturday, including two singles ties and a doubles match. Emma Raducanu will face Marketa Vondrousova in the first round. Dart will then take on Martincova. If the scores are still tied after these two matches, Marie Bouzkova and Linda Fruhvirtova will face Katie Swan and Sonay Kartal.
Also Read: “Who doesn’t want to win a Porsche?” Emma Raducanu eyes the winning car on Clay debut in Stuttgart
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)