Emma Raducanu offers up curious excuse for her woeful Madrid Open display
Emma Raducanu has played just 15 competitive tennis matches in 2024, so her claim that she was too tired to compete at the Madrid Open was always likely to spark plenty of debate.
After an encouraging return to form in recent weeks, Raducanu suggested fatigue was the biggest reason for her horrible performance in a 6-2 6-2 defeat against Maria Lourdes Carle at the Madrid Open.
The 2021 US Open champion headed into Madrid with optimism rising around her after some stellar performances in recent weeks.
Two wins for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup were backed up by a run to the quarter-finals in a high quality tournament at the Stuttgart Open.
Her return to form justified the wildcard she was handed for the Madrid Open, but her performance was bizarre in many ways as she appeared to lack the enthusiasm to compete against a rival who seized her chance to shine.
Even though she has only played 15 matches in the opening four months of 2024, Raducanu looks jaded on court and admitted after the match against Carle that fatigue was at the root of her problems in Madrid.
“I would say the last few weeks have been a lot,” she said.
“I think from the performance today it was very clear that mentally and emotionally I was exhausted.
“I was trying to push through and I was just unable to push through today. I guess the sport is just pretty brutal.”
Earlier this month Raducanu helped Great Britain defeat France to secure a place in Billie Jean King Cup finals, but team captain Anne Keothavong still offered a scathing verdict of her performance against Carle.
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu misses huge rankings chance after early Madrid Open exit
Raducanu also admitted the absence of her coach Nick Cavaday was a blow, with Iain Bates standing in on a temporary basis for the Madrid trip.
“I definitely missed him not being here, so that kinda sucked,” she added. “I had Iain here, which was great that he was able to drop everything and come out.
“It’s not easy but then the circumstances wouldn’t align to how you want them to. I just didn’t really deal with everything too well.”
“I don’t think you can analyse the tennis because Emma the performer didn’t show up today,” Keothavong told Sky Sports.
“And if any athlete doesn’t show up ready to play, you don’t really stand a chance. Credit her opponent, who came out with fire and energy and she was the one who looked up for it and was ready for the fight.
“It was really disappointing to see. She said she was tired, but do you talk yourself into more tiredness?”
Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend admitted he ‘didn’t understand’ Raducanu’s tiredness claim, with Keothavong suggesting the former world No 10 may not skip the French Open to focus on the grass court season.
As always with Raducanu, the level of scrutiny is at an inflated level and yet that will always be the case for one of the most fascinating characters on the women’s tour.
The highs for Raducanu will always be celebrated with gusto as this is a sporting superstar who drives hits to websites and attention to the sport.
Equally, her defeats will be picked out with the kind of critical eye most players ranked outside the top 200 in the world would never face.
Raducanu should only come back when she feels fit and ready to compete again as the uninspired tennis she served up in Madrid would not win matches at any level of the professional game.
There will also be some concerns over her physical frailties after putting in her first two weeks of intensive action since he comeback to the sport in January.
