“It takes time but Emma Raducanu needs to do it” British Captain Anne Keothavong demands more from the teenager who is becoming injury-prone
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Emma Raducanu and Anne Keothavong
Anne Keothavong, Team Captain of Great Britain at the BJK Cup 2022, spoke about Emma Raducanu‘s defeat in the second rubber tie as the Brits failed to qualify for the Finals directly and will need to win their do-or-die Play-Offs later in the season. While Emma won her first match which was her Pro debut on Clay, she could not repeat it for the second tie.
Up against Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova, silver-medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Emma went down 1-6, 1-6, as she had battled the match with blisters on her feet that restricted her movements heavily and Marketa proved too good to miss an opportunity like that as she won the match to put the Czechs ahead in the tie and eventually on the way to the Finals.
Emma’s struggles with fitness continue ever since she won the 2021 US Open. With an illness at the 2021 Transylvania Open, her start to the 2022 season was affected by a bout with Covid-19 during Christmas 2021. During the Australian Open exit, she had blisters on her hand making it impossible to hold her racquet firmly. Similarly, she had a hip injury during her appearance in Guadalajara and later had a back injury in the Indian Wells Open that again held her back.
“Before the match, we were aware she had a blister but it got progressively worse for her during the match. There was no indication of anything that said to us that she couldn’t play or that she wasn’t ready to go out there and give it her absolute best. It does take time for a player to get used to life on the tour and become more robust, and she certainly needs to become more robust.
“I don’t think that’s any secret and she’s working on it. The more she puts herself out there, the more she continues to test herself against the very best, she’ll figure out a way that works for her,” said Anne in comments reported by Eurosport as the Brits now have an extra step to reach the BJK Cup Finals.
Emma Raducanu on schedule to play in Stuttgart
Emma is set to make her Tour debut on Clay at the upcoming 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart with the tournament set to begin on 18th April. With defending champion Ash Barty retired, a new champion will be crowned this season at the tournament. With Emma’s injury’s extent yet to be known, she is likely to play in the event next week as no withdrawal announcement has been made so far by the Brit.
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Sarthak Shitole
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