Why Emma Raducanu has failed in her big Wimbledon rankings target
Emma Raducanu took a huge gamble when she entered the doubles event with fellow Brit Katie Boulter at the Queen’s Club tournament – and she has now admitted that call has backfired.
Raducanu suggested prior to the brand new tournament in London that she had low expectations due to an ongoing back spasm problem, but she still made the call to enter the doubles event.
That meant she played five days in success in warm conditions, with her final match coming as she was beaten by top seed Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals.
Raducanu received treatment for a recurrence of a back problem that first flared up during her defeat against Danielle Collins on a clay court in Strasbourg in April.
The 2021 US Open champion admitted in her post-match press conference that playing five days in a row may have been a factor as the back problem affected her service motion in the defeat against Zheng, with her deflated demeanour in her post-match press conference suggesting she appreciated she had made a mistake.
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“I have been struggling with my back since Strasbourg, and it’s just been something that’s been on and off,” said Raducanu.
“I have been managing it pretty well over the last few weeks, but I guess as the week goes on and I have played five matches now. Even if two were doubles, I think, yeah, it just tests it out. And I just felt it, I think, as the load goes up.
“They took me off court and taped it to give me some extra stability, and some painkillers. Yeah, that was it.
“I think it’s just a vulnerability of mine. I know I need to take good care of it.
“I’m not overly concerned that it’s something serious, but I know it’s something that’s very annoying and needs proper and careful management.”
Raducanu was asked about the prospect of sticking to her schedule and playing in next week’s WTA 500 tournament in Berlin and she said the decision on her participation would be made imminently.
It was then confirmed that she has pulled out of the Berlin event, with doubts now remaining over whether she will play in the WTA 250 tournament at Eastbourne the following week.
That will be her final chance to get some grass court practice in before Wimbledon, yet that will not be enough to push her towards the seeding she was hoping for at Wimbledon.
All England Club chiefs will confirm their seedings prior to the draw for Wimbledon, which will take place the Friday before the tournament gets underway.
So even if Raducanu played in Eastbourne and managed to lift her ranking into the top 32 on the WTA list by the time Wimbledon gets underway, he hopes of being seeded are now over.
“I think being seeded obviously helps in Masters, helps in slams and a lot of tournaments so you’re not playing one of the top players early rounds,” said Raducanu, when asked about her seeding hopes for Wimbledon.
“I think maybe my goals have slightly shifted from being seeded to actually improving my game, and when I play those top players, making it closer and feeling more competitive rather than just feeling, okay, I maybe get to the third round of a Slam but then lose comfortably to one of the top players.
“I think I’d rather have a more competitive match, even if that means losing first round, second round, and I think that, to be honest, is how I feel right now.”
Raducanu is clearly struggling with her belief when she takes on players in the top 10 of the WTA Rankings and her failure to secure a seeding for Wimbledon means she could face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka or No 2 Coco Gauff in the first round.
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