Emma Raducanu admits she is feeling ‘tired’ after a gruelling run of matches less than one month before the French Open gets started in Paris.
The British tennis star has been in fine form in recent weeks, knocking up four wins in a row for the first time since she won the US Open as a qualifier in 2021.
Raducanu impressively beat world No.49 Diane Parry, world No.23 Caroline Garcia, former world No.1 Angelique Kerber and world No.31 Linda Noskova.
The 21-year-old faced world No.1 Iga Swiatek in her next match – Raducanu’s first quarter-final since September 2022 – and she impressed despite her defeat.
Swiatek, currently the best player in women’s tennis, was forced into a tie-break for just the second time in 21 career sets played at the Stuttgart Open.
Raducanu’s main focus for this season is to build up fitness and experience after injury problems derailed her 2023 campaign and saw her undergo triple surgery.
She was ranked as high as world No.10 two years ago and many pundits have tipped the one-time Grand Slam champion to get back to that level.
Raducanu returns to action on Wednesday as she faces a qualifier or lucky loser in the first round of the Madrid Open after the withdrawal of Karolina Pliskova.
Ahead of that clash, Raducanu told Sky Sports: ‘I’m trying to learn how to manage energy levels.
‘I’m not going to deny that I am tired. But I think that’s it just accepting that you’re not going to feel 100 per cent and try to save everything for the fight, because the mental side can get you over the line.’
Reflecting on her match against Swiatek and quizzed about her preparations for the Madrid Open, Raducanu added: ‘I feel good in terms of my tennis.
‘I feel I am playing really well and racking up confidence week-by-week. It’s a challenge coming here to Madrid. It’s the first outdoor tournament I’ve played since Indian Wells (in March) so I have had to adjust quickly.
‘I’m trying to freshen up physically as much as possible before tomorrow. This was the last place I came to last year before surgery and then I missed eight months.
‘So for me, from now, I have zero points to defend for the rest of the year, so everything is a gain and everything is a win.
‘Coming here, I feel really confident mentally. I’m looking forward to the rest of the clay season. It was really good for me [to play Iga Swiatek].
‘I’ve played Iga twice before and in this match I was competitive, I wasn’t stressed to receive the ball from her. I was very much in the match, especially in the first set, so that was a good feeling for me.
‘To feel like against the world No.1, on her favourite surface, that I was able to hold my own, that was a great measure of progress.’
