Emma Raducanu played in just the second final of her career yesterday, but was heavily beaten by Sorana Cirstea.
It marked a sour end to an otherwise positive week, where she proved her ability to compete consistently and put together a string of wins at the top level.
However, whilst the 6-0, 6-2 scoreline in the final was a blow, what was even more frustrating was what she said afterwards.
After all, the 22-year-old alluded to an issue that had sapped her of all her energy, thus making yesterday’s match a non-contest.
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This has only reinforced a fear that Martina Navratilova had about the Brit just last year.
Martina Navratilova’s worry for Emma Raducanu in 2025
Speaking after Emma Raducanu’s fine run at the 2025 Miami Open, where she soared into the quarter-finals of the event, the 18-time singles Grand Slam champion was full of praise for the 2021 US Open winner.
However, the way in which she faded against Jessica Pegula during her eventual defeat worried Navratilova, who delivered an assessment that clearly still rings true today.
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She stated: “It was amazing. The way she looked at the end of that second set, you think this match is over and somehow she won the set, she won the tie-break, and still competed in the third, but she was not feeling well.
“I think the stress contributed to that because the weather was fine, it was cool, they finished after 11 pm, so the weather was [not a factor].
“The humidity takes it out of you a lot, but still – this was something more for Emma, and it’s just amazing that she finished the match.
“I think she’ll move up the ranking well enough into the top 30. The biggest question mark is her health.”
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What makes this particularly worrying is that, just yesterday, Raducanu confirmed she was feeling ill during the final against Cirstea, and had felt that way for much of the week.
She still seemingly has yet to find a solution to these recurring health issues, which have plagued her on many occasions throughout her short career.
Speaking after her defeat in Romania, Raducanu told reporters: “I’ve just been a bit ill this week and then yesterday’s match was so long and it just took it out of me, so for today I just felt like energy-wise that I didn’t really have much energy and it was really difficult but again, Sorana played so well.”
This is a persistent issue that Raducanu needs to sort out fast if she has genuine aspirations of becoming a regular threat to tennis’ elite titles.
