Emma Raducanu lost to Solana Sierra, 0-6, 6-7, in the first round of the French Open.
The Briton only played two matches on clay this year, losing them both without winning a set.
Returning from illness, Raducanu failed to impress in Strasbourg or Paris, leaving many concerned as she prepares to begin the grass-court season.
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Former British number one Annabel Croft has now delivered her verdict on Raducanu’s game.
Annabel Croft says Emma Raducanu’s French Open performance was one of the worst she’s seen from her
During the BBC’s coverage of Queen’s, Croft commented on Raducanu’s disappointing Roland Garros campaign.
“She is a big match player and loves a big stage to play and perform on,” said Croft.
“It’s just when I look at some of the matches she has played this year, taking into account she has not been well, and she is very short of matches, I think the match she played at Roland Garros was probably one of the lower levels I have ever seen her play at.
Emma Raducanu’s 2026 record (7-9)
| Tournament | Performance | Match wins | Defeat |
| United Cup | Group stage | 0 | Maria Sakkari |
| Hobart International | Quarter-final | 1 (Camila Osorio) | Taylah Preston |
| Australian Open | Second round | 1 (Mananchaya Sawangkaew) | Anastasia Potapova |
| Transylvania Open | Final | 4 (Greet Minnen, Kaja Juvan, Maja Chwalinska, Oleksandra Oliynykova) | Sorana Cirstea |
| Qatar Open | First round | 0 | Camila Osorio |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | First round | 0 | Antonia Ruzic |
| Indian Wells | Third round | 1 (Anastasia Zakharova) | Amanda Anisimova |
| Internationaux de Strasbourg | First round | 0 | Diane Parry |
| French Open | First round | 0 | Solana Sierra |
“It looked to me like she had zero confidence.
“Balls were landing at the bottom of the net, and she was swinging, and it was going wide and out the back.
“The serve was a bit all over the place.
Emma Raducanu’s serving stats at the French Open
- Aces – 3
- Double faults – 5
- First Serve % – 58%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 48%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 50%
“I have never really seen that with her.
“Normally, you watch her, and you will marvel at how beautiful she makes the strokes look. She makes the game look easy. She is a very neat and tidy player, and nothing really looks out of place. She is never lunging at balls and off balance. She is a beautiful tennis player and mover.
“But there is an awful lot of players now coming out onto the Tour, like Victoria Mboko and Iva Jovic; these are all the players that are going to be challenging Raducanu in the latter stages of tournaments. It’s never going to be easy.
“This Tour is not easy. If you are not moving forward, you are actually going backwards. It’s just cutthroat.”
Croft continued, explaining how Raducanu’s coaching merry-go-round has slowed down her progress.
“I think it has not been great having so much chopping and changing,” she said.
“A lot of people on the Tour now say, ‘Who has the best teams in place. Who has the best team around them? Who has the best trainer, and nutritionist, and data analyst, and strength and conditioning coach?’ If you can invest in your team to have the best information, it allows you to flourish on the tennis court.
“I feel like a lot of time has been lost in that department with so much chopping and changing.
“How can you keep up with those who have those teams in place where little differences can make such big changes to rankings?
Live WTA Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 42 | Laura Siegemund | Germany | 1,230 |
| 43 | Barbora Krejcikova | Czechia | 1,211 |
| 44 | Elisabetta Cocciaretto | Italy | 1,192 |
| 45 | Sara Bejlek | Czechia | 1,179 |
| 46 | Emma Raducanu | Great Britain | 1,134 |
| 47 | Marketa Vondrousova | Czechia | 1,133 |
| 48 | Dayana Yastremska | Ukraine | 1,126 |
| 49 | Oleksandra Oliynykova | Ukraine | 1,114 |
| 50 | Petra Marcinko | Croatia | 1,101 |
| 51 | Maya Joint | Australia | 1,096 |
“Let’s hope with Andrew Richardson back in her corner, I think it’s wonderful he wanted to come back, and clearly I think they are trying to ignite what she had at the US Open, but the Tour has moved on a lot since then, so clearly it’s going to be a lot of work.”
Raducanu reunited with Andrew Richardson, the man with whom she won the US Open, before the clay-court season.
Yet to win a match with Richardson back in her corner, Raducanu will be targeting a deep run at the Queen’s Club Championships.
Who will Emma Raducanu play in her first match on grass this year?
Raducanu will begin her grass-court campaign with a first-round tie against Russia’s Anna Blinkova.
Blinkova won her two matches in qualifying to reach the main draw and is no slouch on grass, having reached three tour-level quarter-finals on the surface since 2023.
Raducanu and Blinkova have never met before, but the Briton is ranked 63 places above the Russian, making her the favourite for their first encounter.
They have been scheduled as the first match on Centre Court, on Tuesday, June 9, at the Queen’s Club Championships.
