Emma Raducanu is out of the French Open, having lost comprehensively to Solana Sierra in the very first round.
In all honesty, it represented a disappointing performance from the 23-year-old, barring a second-set fightback, although it was expected.
After all, she headed to Roland Garros lacking any real match fitness or preparation, and paid the price dearly.
Her opponent, it must be said, played a brilliant match.
However, for Emma Raducanu, the pressure to perform will only grow as we head into the grass-court season.
Emma Raducanu puts herself under huge pressure at Wimbledon
Having been forced to effectively sacrifice the entire clay-court season, the pressure to now impress on the grass is huge.
After all, Raducanu is a lightning rod for criticism at the best of times, but returning to her home country on arguably her favoured surface will see such scrutiny increase exponentially.
Will Emma Raducanu ever reach the second week of a Grand Slam again?
Following such an underwhelming run of form and fitness, it really feels like she will have to impress at Wimbledon or face even greater criticism.
The 2021 US Open champion’s best-ever run at her home Grand Slam came in 2021 and 2024, when she made it to the fourth round. Last year, she lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
However, in front of home crowds, with points to defend, and the notoriously difficult grass draws, pressure is sure to be high.
But, given this represented Raducanu’s first tournament since re-hiring Andrew Richardson as her coach, there is still plenty of time for the two to recapture the spark that made their first stint together so fruitful.
Emma Raducanu’s game plan was clear despite early Roland Garros exit
Realistically, it would have been unwise to predict anything other than an early exit for Raducanu at Roland Garros.
After all, today represented just her second match in over two months, and against an experienced clay-court specialist no less.
At which Grand Slam is Emma Raducanu most likely to win a second major title? Let us know why below 👇
However, despite the heavy, one-sided nature of the scoreline, it was clear what the British number one was trying to do throughout the match.
Although errors were regularly flying off her racket, the intent behind Raducanu’s striking was evident. She wanted to finish the points with an aggressive, first-strike brand of tennis.
On this occasion, it did not pay off, but this could represent the start of a conscious shift which could revolutionise her game after years of stagnation.
