Emma Raducanu will be keen to put Roland Garros behind her, having suffered a disappointing first-round exit in Paris.
With that being said, this outcome was always a possibility given the little tennis she has been able to play over the last few months.
Injuries and a lingering illness have completely curtailed her year, but hopefully that is behind her now.
That certainly could be the case, given how quickly Emma Raducanu has insisted she and her team decided to depart Paris following that aforementioned early defeat.
Emma Raducanu’s quick turnaround for the grass-court season
Speaking at her press conference, the Brit began by admitting that her Roland Garros loss to Solana Sierra was a ‘tough match afterwards’.
Raducanu continued: “I found the next day pretty tough, and I knew the best thing for me to do was to try to get back on the court straight away just to nip it in the bud.”
Will Emma Raducanu ever reach the second week of a Grand Slam again?
Having taken a long time away from competitive action, her willingness to play straight after the French Open is promising.
She added: I think from Strasbourg and the French Open it did teach me a few things that I can hopefully take into the grass season, but I haven’t had so many matches leading up to it, but I’ve been doing what I can day in, day out, so that’s all I can really (control) myself and keep going.”
Raducanu then discussed the grass-court season and her hopes on the new surface: “I think a lot starts from the beginning of the point of serving and returning. I think that’s highlighted on the grass court, so working on the actual quality of the shot would be where I would start.
“That’s what I’m trying to focus on, and then it’s easier to implement that mindset if you start the point in a better way.”
Emma Raducanu’s record on grass throughout her career
Tim Henman has told fans to be patient with Raducanu, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the hope surrounding her return.
After all, at her best, the 23-year-old is a really strong player capable of competing. Frustratingly, her best has been rarely exhibited in recent times.
Alas, there is still cause for optimism.
Do you think Emma Raducanu has made a good decision with this hire?
Could you see her winning another Grand Slam title alongside Andrew Richardson?
Raducanu has reunited with old coach Andrew Richardson, in a move that has been widely celebrated, and she now returns to a surface where she has enjoyed prior success.
That being said, statistically, the grass is actually her worst-performing surface.
Her 57% win rate sits far below the 61% she boasts on clay, or the 64% on hard courts.
And yet, other than her 2021 US Open title, her best-ever runs at a Grand Slam have come at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round in 2021 and 2024.
