Emma Raducanu has shed light on the “difficult moments” she faced this season after a winning start in Madrid. The British No. 2 beat Suzan Lamens 7-6(4) 6-4 on Wednesday, earning her first clay-court win in more than a year. Afterwards, Raducanu touched on her team, which includes “informal” coach Mark Petchey and her long-time friend and mentor Jane O’Donoghue, revealing that they had picked her up during some tough times.
Raducanu has limited experience on the clay, but that didn’t stop her from producing an impressive performance against in-form Lamens, who won both her singles matches on indoor clay at the BJK Cup before reaching the Rouen semi-final. The Brit had to problem-solve to come back from a break down in both sets and was vocal throughout the match, roaring in celebration when she saved break points and got herself out of tough spots.
Afterwards, Raducanu explained why the win meant so much to her.
“It meant a lot to me to get my first match win [on the clay]. I mean, last year, I lost first round here and then didn’t play for the rest of the clay court season,” she told Sky Sports.
“This year, to have won my first match here on outdoor clay in years. I mean, actually I didn’t even play in 2023. So I think 2022 was my last win on outdoor clay and that’s three years later.”
Raducanu was also delighted to win in front of some close confidants in her box, admitting that she had overcome some difficulties with them by her side.
She continued: “So it did mean a lot and to have the people I had on the side of the court, it meant a lot for them to be there with me.
“And they’ve really picked me up through some very difficult moments at the start of this year and the season so far. And yeah, I’m just happy to come through.”
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