Emma Raducanu broke down in tears during her press conference after losing in the first round of the French Open to Solana Sierra, describing the resilience it takes to keep coming back from injury and illness.
Raducanu, 23, was bageled 6-0 in the first set and hit no winners in it, before showing more fight in the second, ultimately falling to the clay-court specialist in Parisian heat that topped 30 degrees Celsius.
Asked what kind of mindset it takes to keep returning to the sport at such a young age, having already suffered her fair share of injuries and health issues, Raducanu's voice began to quiver. "It's very difficult," she said. "I think you need a lot of resilience. I think I'm trying my best each day." She paused before adding, "I think that's all I can ask of myself."
This season alone, Raducanu has been troubled by a foot injury and a post-viral illness that restricted her to just one match since March before Roland Garros. She has also had multiple wrist and ankle surgeries in her career, at one point leaving her reliant on a mobility scooter.
Rehiring Andrew Richardson
Ahead of the tournament, Raducanu was asked about her decision to rehire Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to victory at the 2021 US Open, where she won as an 18-year-old in one of the most unexpected Grand Slam triumphs in the sport's history, only to be sacked just days later, a decision long understood to have been driven by her father.
"I think at that time it was very difficult to say I made a mistake, because in my life everything changed upside down, and I didn't really think I had the most handle over the situation in the sense that I was being pulled left, right. I didn't really know what was going on," she said.
Raducanu has worked with eight permanent coaches since Richardson departed. This time she reached out to him herself, by text message, and told hardly anyone until it was done. "I really wanted to just make the decisions for myself and most authentically," she said.
Looking ahead to Wimbledon
Raducanu could have skipped the clay-court season entirely to focus on preparing for Wimbledon, but felt she needed matches regardless of surface after two-and-a-half months away from the tour.
She remains ranked 39 in the world, though that could slip depending on other results at Roland Garros. Raducanu was unseeded in Paris and now faces a difficult task to earn a seeding at the All England Club.
She has been seeded at Wimbledon only once, in 2022, when she was knocked out in the second round in her worst result there.
Raducanu is set to play at Queen's in a fortnight, where she reached the quarter-final last year and has ranking points to defend. She has also entered the Berlin Open and Eastbourne, though she may not play both, before Wimbledon begins at the end of June. "I'm looking forward to getting back on home soil," she said.
