Emma Raducanu speaks out after French Open exit: ‘This year was always going to be challenging’

British tennis star and US Open champion Emma Raducanu insists there are positives to take from her French Open debut despite a second-round defeat.

Raducanu, 19, looked in fine form as she took the first set against Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3.

But Belarussian Sasnovich dominated the next two sets, limiting Raducanu to just two more games and knocking her out of the second Grand Slam of the year.

Raducanu, who rose to fame at last year’s US Open, has lost in the second round in her two Grand Slams since the stunning win in New York.

‘I thought that it was a pretty long match, pretty physical, as well. I think my opponent, she played pretty well throughout, and didn’t make any errors,’ Raducanu said.

‘But, yeah, I think that it was a long match for me, but, I mean, the whole clay season has been pretty positive overall, I would say.’

Reflecting on her clay-court season as a whole, Raducanu added: ‘I think I definitely got stronger as the clay season went on.

‘It just takes a lot more to win the point on this surface, and, you know, you hit a ball flat and it doesn’t really do that much.

‘I definitely learnt like when to use the shape and stuff. Yeah, like I still got quite a long way to go on this surface, but overall, I would say I definitely had a good first experience on the clay. I think that I can definitely improve a lot more than what I am at right now.’

More to follow…