BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 14, 2023

Emma Raducanu

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/E. Raducanu

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Not the result you wanted tonight, but what are your reflections on the tournament overall?

EMMA RADUCANU: Thanks. I still love Indian Wells, I love this tournament. I think overall I can say it was a positive week for me. The team, I think we had a run of three really good matches.

Yeah, it was a good experience today playing Iga on that court at night. I think the conditions are very slow and heavy and favored her. But, yeah, it's just good to see where I'm at.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Do you feel that she didn't really allow you to play your game, that she took control?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think that she took control. I think that due to the conditions, I found it harder to play the way I had been the previous three matches, where it was daytime, a lot faster and livelier.

Yeah, I was just finding it more difficult to get the same sort of quality on my shots, and she just took advantage of that. Yeah, she loves it when it's slow and heavy.

Yeah, she just was pretty on me, to be honest.

Q. It was certainly close at the start, and also at the start of the second set. When you talk about the conditions and Iga liking them, what specifically does she do? How does she make it difficult in the situation?

EMMA RADUCANU: Well, yeah, it's when conditions are heavier and it's colder at night, and the court is slow, like, she makes a lot of balls, she defends really well, plays heavy.

Like, if your ball isn't penetrating the court going through and fast enough, she likes it, and it sits up, then she has time to kind of manipulate the play and dictate how she wants to.

Yeah, the key is to try and get it through the court really, but it's obviously difficult if, yeah, if it's not going through.

Q. You have obviously made a lot of progress in the past week, 10 days, both physically, how you were feeling when you first got here and now, and your game. What are the immediate plans? Do you give yourself a day off or so, or do you want to go straight to Miami and get straight back on it? What are you going to do?

EMMA RADUCANU: Don't know. I mean, I came off court like 30 minutes ago, so I haven't really thought about my plans.

Yeah, just treat, recover, and yeah, take the next steps tomorrow probably.

Q. Can I try that slightly differently? Do you feel that physically you're ready just to continue with this forward motion, if you like, that you've had over the past 10 days?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think it's been a good 10 days. Yeah, I haven't trained particularly much before the tournament, but I feel like I'll probably take a day to recover tomorrow physically, because since the tournament started, I have done a little bit of something every day.

So just to reset a bit mentally and physically tomorrow, and then, yeah, take it from there.

Q. You said that playing Iga was a good chance to see where you're at. Where are you at, would you say?

EMMA RADUCANU: I think in those conditions, it's funny how I feel like you could be playing in -- it could be two different matches, I feel. I played her in Stuttgart indoors, fast, clay, and I played her outdoor heavy at night on these courts.

Yeah, it was, for me, I felt like it was two different matches, like there, indoors, ball doesn't move around in the wind, it just goes through. Here, ball's moving a bit, you need to be in position.

Overall I feel like physically she is much further ahead than I am at this moment. I think I was able to stay competitive in the beginning of the first set, and then I think the first three games took like over 20 minutes. And we were having some pretty epic rallies, and I actually think my defense got better. But that meant me running.

Yeah, I think that she just kind of ground my down a bit.

Q. Overall to reflect on the previous two matches, which were really big wins for you, rankings-wise, biggest wins since US Open, how good does that leave you feeling as you leave this tournament?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, it feels good. Gives me confidence.

I think especially because of where I was before this tournament, didn't think I would even play, to be honest. But to have played and then won three rounds and beaten two amazing opponents, yeah, I'm very proud of myself.

Now it's just about consistent work to physically get to where I want to be. Yeah, I saw a taste of the level where No. 1 is at physically and how she is at the corners, repetitive, relentless. Yeah, I just couldn't take that.

Q. Do you have any idea of sort of like what percentage of the player that you are going to be or can be you're at right now? I asked Coco this a couple months ago and she said she thought like 65% or something, because you guys are young. Curious, do you ever talk with your team about where you think you are in your trajectory right now?

EMMA RADUCANU: I would honestly say like 35%.

Q. Really?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, like when I'm telling you I haven't trained, like I haven't trained (smiling). Physically I feel like that's going to be one of my biggest assets. My team has spoken about it. I think that I'm going to be, like, one of the best athletes on the tour, and that's going to be a big part of my game.

Yeah, I would say there is a very long way to go, but I'm definitely starting the right work now.

Q. With that in mind, when do you think your next training block is going to be? How are you going to be able to fit these in through the course of the year to kick on physically?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, of course I think because of the calendar being so full on and packed, it's difficult to find blocks, but potentially -- well, I mean, obviously at the end of the year, but hopefully going to try to squeeze one more in after the grass or after Miami before the clay, if there is time.