Emma Raducanu told to hold ‘moderate’ French Open expectations by former world No 2
Emma Raducanu has been told she should hold “quite moderate” expectations for her French Open campaign by former world No 2 Alex Corretja.
World No 43 Raducanu is set to play at Roland Garros for the first time since 2022, having withdrawn from the tournament the past two years.
The Brit was forced out of the event in 2023 due to long-term injury issues, and then decided to skip the event twelve months ago to prioritise her grass court campaign.
Raducanu has committed to a strong clay swing in 2025, playing at the Madrid Open, Italian Open, and Strasbourg International.
The 22-year-old reached the fourth round in Rome but was beaten in round two in Madrid, and fell to Danielle Collins in the second round of the Strasbourg International on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of the French Open, TNT Sports pundit Corretja claimed that Raducanu should have limited expectations due to a comparative lack of matches.
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“I like her so much, the way she plays, she’s so determined,” said Corretja, a two-time French Open runner-up.
“She can play very well, she can move very well – so there’s no reason why she can’t play well on clay.
“But definitely her expectations should be quite moderate, I would say, because at the end of the day, you’re not playing and not winning that many matches.”
As the world No 43, Raducanu will be unseeded in the draw and will be drawn to face a seeded player in either round one or two of the tournament.
The Brit was drawn against 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova back at the Australian Open and beat the Russian in round one, ultimately reaching the third round.
Corretja believes that, despite being unseeded, Raducanu’s status as a former Grand Slam champion means that players will want to avoid her in Paris.
He added: “You should be there, trying to say: ‘Ok, let’s see – where am I going to be placed in the draw, and who can I hurt?’
“When you have players, who have been very good, and they win a Slam like she did, you always have to have so much respect for that player, and you don’t want to see them next to your draw. You always like to see them away.
“Emma could be one of those cases, so hopefully she is healthy and she feels good to fight and to cause some problems.
“I would be quite impressed if she can really go quite far ahead in the tournament, because she hasn’t played for so long in this event, but in the end of the day, you never know with players.
“They get into their rhythm, and they can surprise you. You always need to give chances to people.”
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