Emma Raducanu’s worrying confession before retiring from Washington doubles with Elena Rybakina

Ewan West 26 Jul 2025 10:53 AM

Emma Raducanu hits a backhand

Emma Raducanu admitted she was “not feeling the best” before she and Elena Rybakina retired from their doubles match at the Citi DC Open.

The Brit overcame Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 in the singles quarter-finals on a sweltering day in Washington.

Raducanu took a medical timeout and had her vital signs checked by a doctor late in the second set.

“It was brutal today,” Raducanu said in her on-court interview. “Thanks to everyone for coming out and sitting through the heat.

“It’s incredibly difficult playing, but when I’ve sat and watched matches in the heat, when you’re not moving in the seat, it’s even harder.

“It’s for sure physical, because if you don’t have the abilities then your body will fail you. But at a certain point, it then becomes mental. I knew after the first or second game, it was such a long match, the first set was over an hour.

Almost seven hours after finishing her match against Sakkari, Raducanu took to the court again to partner Rybakina in the pair’s doubles semi-final against Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.

Raducanu and Rybakina retired after 25 minutes on court while trailing 4-1 in the opening set having lost serve twice.

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Raducanu’s decision to play the doubles match was something of a surprise given what she said in her press conference after beating Sakkari.

“I’m not feeling the best right now, so I just need to go and speak to the doctors,” the 22-year-old said.

“I think you get to a point where you’re so tired that you don’t really know what you’re doing anymore, and I think maybe that helped. I was also thinking if this goes to three sets, I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”

The world No 46 added: “I think the humidity here, as well, it just makes it feel completely like you have just opened an oven and it just stayed open and your head is in there. That’s how it feels. Wimbledon, it gets hot in England, but it’s a drier heat, not quite the same sweating.

“Today, even in the match warmup, you just go outside and you’re sweating. Honestly, it’s even hotter watching, I think, because you’re sat and you don’t create any movement and wind and flowing. A credit to everyone, yeah, and much appreciated to getting out higher and watching.”

Raducanu was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by 48th-ranked Anna Kalinskaya in the semi-finals in Washington on Saturday.