Emma Raducanu naturally cut a downhearted figure yesterday, as she addressed the Queen’s crowd.
After all, following what had been a magical week for the Brit, it was sad to see it end so abruptly in the final.
That being said, she still performed admirably against Donna Vekic, but simply could not live with the blistering speed and shot-making of the eventual champion. It was an inspired performance, capping off an exceptional week for the Croatian.
She remained hugely magnanimous in her post-match speech, despite the fact that Raducanu would have been justified in being frustrated at the Queen’s organisers, although she did admit in her press conference that she still ‘felt bad’ afterwards.
Emma Raducanu explains how Andrew Richardson helped her reach the Queen’s final
First, Emma Raducanu was asked by reporters how she felt that Andrew Richardson had helped progress her game during this past week.
She admitted: “Yeah, I think I played really well this week. I think I’m playing pretty freely, pretty aggressively, but finding the right balance, returning, been serving pretty well. It’s important on grass.
How far do you think Emma Raducanu will go at Wimbledon after watching her at Queen’s?
“It’s just nice to have the team that I do.”
Raducanu then explained how she actually felt bad for being unable to thank everyone who helped her reach this point, having spent so much of this year injured or ill.
She added: “I mean, I actually felt bad, because there were so many things in my head and people to thank. I think I forgot to mention them out there in the trophy presentation.
“But, I mean, they have helped me through some really sticky situations in the past few months, and it honestly means the world to me for them to believe unconditionally, so yeah, I wouldn’t be here also without them.”
Despite this, Raducanu admitted she could have changed one thing in the final which might have made a difference.
Emma Raducanu is back to her US Open-winning form
Many have argued that, after putting together such a strong run of form and fitness, Raducanu has recaptured the form that saw her win the US Open title in 2021.
And, in that same press conference, she was actually asked to rank this past week at Queen’s amongst the best in her career.
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She replied: “Yeah, I think it’s incredibly special. You know, playing at home, there is no feeling like it. I was so just in awe of the atmosphere and in awe of the support I received all week. I couldn’t really believe it. Even though I know I’m playing at home, it just trumps anything that you ever really think of.
“For that, I’m really grateful, and I just see how many people are behind me and rooting for me. It means a lot, because the results don’t always go your way the whole season. You see things written about you or spoken about you, but when you play at home, you’re just reminded how much support there is actually for you. It means a lot to have that.”
