MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 3, 2022

Emma Raducanu

Press Conference

A. KALININA/E. Raducanu

6-2, 2-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Obviously a very hard-fought, competitive match between the both of you. Could you give us your overall thoughts on the match.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I thought it was a good-level match, to be honest. I think that Anhelina played a really good level, especially in the first set. She gave nothing away.

She was neutralizing all of my first serves really deep, and I found it quite difficult to do and build on that compared to some other matches.

Yeah, great credit to her. She played a good match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Talk us through the medical timeout. Did it help you lift your level? Because you obviously played a good second set there.

EMMA RADUCANU: Well, I mean, I would have given myself a 5% chance of winning that match, and for it to almost happen, I think that was a positive thing.

Yeah, I was kind of struggling a bit with my back, to be honest. Throughout the week I have been carrying some niggles, and it's kind of just taking its toll, all of the matches at this kind of level. I think that's a good thing that, you know, I feel like I'm going through this and my body is building with each match I play.

Every time I go out there, I mean, that was just a great two-and-a-half-hour training session, and that's going to build towards me physically developing.

But, yeah, I think maybe it did help, but I got some really good treatment and some stuff, so, yeah, it helped.

Q. It looked like you were slightly holding or touching your lower back like the first, second game possibly. Was it something you were feeling before the match, or did something like twinge after a couple of games?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, I went into the match with it. The whole week I have kind of been having some problems with my body and small niggles that I have been managing. Like the day before my last-round match I didn't practice, because I was just trying to manage my body and I was having some pains.

But, yeah, I did go into the match with that, and I was really struggling to move out wide, to be honest. I felt like when I was out wide today, whereas other days sometimes I might stay in the point cross. I felt like today I just had to go for it line and hope for the best, because I wasn't really in a position to be running and, you know, staying in the point. I think that definitely affected the running, but I'd say, I mean, credit to her, she gave me nothing either.

Q. What are your kind of movements from here out, next sort of two weeks?

EMMA RADUCANU: I'm not sure what I will do yet, whether I will go home yet or straight to Rome. Yeah, I will be playing Rome next week, I hope, given everything is good.

Q. Just a follow-up on that, is there any worry that you would want to not play Rome because of the back, or do you feel you have enough days to handle it?

EMMA RADUCANU: I mean, I'm not sure when I start. Maybe like Monday, Tuesday, I mean, I hope it's enough time, because it would be a real shame to miss it.

Yeah, I mean, I'm feeling pretty positive. A lot of the time with me it's just overload and then, you know, three days', two, three days' complete rest and I'm okay to start training again. Yeah, hopefully the plan right now is to still go to Rome.

Q. If you think about the day last month when you played your first professional clay match to now, what is the one sort of main thing you have learned about the surface that you didn't really know before?

EMMA RADUCANU: I'd say, I mean, I'm pretty happy with the progress I have made over the last few weeks, and I think I have definitely, you know, done something to build on and keep building.

I feel like my mentality and my outlook to how I'm approaching things right now is a lot better. But I feel like on clay specifically the one thing is probably I don't need to -- you don't actually need to slide like all the time. You just think it's a clay court, but sometimes you don't need to change your game that much.

You know, I think that it's actually more dangerous sometimes to just put your game out there like you would on a faster surface maybe, because especially here, I mean, with the altitude, it is quicker.

Q. When you said you gave yourself a 5% chance, is that because you were hurting or because you were inexperienced on the surface and things like that?

EMMA RADUCANU: Well, I mean, from the second game I was really struggling to move wide. That was when I would probably say that. But then after, at the timeout, I don't know what magic they worked, but like I had a numb back for the second and third set so I couldn't feel anything.

Yeah, managed to fight my way back in and obviously give myself a chance in the third set. Yeah, I probably had like two chances, 4-3 and on my serve, but, yeah, small margins.