Emma Raducanu suffered a truly damaging loss earlier today, crashing out of Roland Garros in the very first round.
However, given how poorly she started the match, the fact that she fought back so bravely in the second set actually gave the impression of progress, even though Solana Sierra finally closed out the win.
After all, a 6-0 scoreline is always damaging, and when the British number one fell 4-1 down in the second, many feared the worst. To take it to a tiebreak deserves credit.
Alas, this was far from the result that Emma Raducanu will have wanted, even with the limited clay-court preparation she had before the event.
It should therefore come as no surprise that the 23-year-old cut an emotional figure in her press conference, fighting back tears after one question in particular.
Emma Raducanu gets emotional when discussing her injury history
Raducanu admitted to reporters that she had no real explanation for the heavily one-sided nature of the clash, particularly in that first set.
She seemed baffled, and admitted that the result had yet to really process for her.
Where do you think Emma Raducanu will finish 2026 ranked?
When asked if she had been able to prepare properly for this year’s Roland Garros, Raducanu claimed: “I think I’ve been practising well, but it’s been, like, five, six weeks after two months off, so it was going to be a big ask coming in.
“I really wanted to play the French [Open], so that was my decision, and I stand by it because I think you know I got to experience a Grand Slam. I never want to miss it.
“And I think I competed as well as I could in the second set with what I had today. So yeah, that’s that’s all I got.”
However, when then asked how she has dealt with such a torrid run of luck with injuries and illness across her short career, Raducanu fought back tears as she replied: “Yeah, it’s very difficult, I think you need a lot of resilience. I think I’m trying my best each day. And I think that’s all I can ask of myself.”
The hope is that she can head to the grass-court season with a clean bill of health, particularly given Raducanu is set to be under huge pressure heading into Wimbledon after this early exit in Paris.
Emma Raducanu knows exactly what she needs heading into the grass-court season
It’s clear that Raducanu is well aware of what she was lacking today.
After all, when she connected with her shots well, the speed of her ball was frightening at times. It’s just that, with 42 unforced errors, those moments of magic were far less frequent than was desired.
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Having complained under Francisco Roig’s tutelage that he was coaching her away from the brand of tennis she prefers, today marked a refreshing return to a more aggressive, brave and first-strike style.
If she can put together a run of tournaments, particularly on her favoured surface in the coming months, Raducanu could be ready to silence all the doubters with a strong run at Wimbledon and a fine second half of the season.
