ROTHESAY INTERNATIONAL

June 27, 2024

Emma Raducanu

Devonshire Park

Press Conference

D. KASATKINA/E. Raducanu

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Emma, not the result you wanted today, but overall, you must be pleased with the matches you got here heading into Wimbledon.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I'm pleased to have had three matches. I think it builds towards my match fitness, builds towards my bank of experience playing in all sorts of conditions, I would say. I think today especially it was very difficult, and I just didn't handle it very well.

I'd say, yeah, I think I just need to learn to be more willing to adapt. But, yeah, I'd say I hadn't really played many matches in that level of wind.

Yeah, Daria actually plays really good in those conditions, because she makes it very awkward for the opponent. I just think she handled it a lot better.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Are those the worst conditions you have played in? You've never played at Eastbourne before, have you?

EMMA RADUCANU: No, I haven't played in Eastbourne. There was one day in practice at Indian Wells where it was similar, but it wasn't in the match. So it didn't really matter as much.

But I'd say it was up there with, like, the worst I have played in, especially on the tour. Maybe back in the junior days I played in a similar level of wind, but very rarely and also a different level of opposition.

Q. Obviously we just talked about the wind. Were there different sort of plans that you had to try to deal with the wind, different ways to hit through it? How did that change as the match progressed?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think, like, my plan was, I guess, to play my kind of identity of tennis, which is aggressive, which is taking the ball early, and I play pretty clean tennis, I would say, which is why yesterday, you know, it was a much better level of tennis, because yeah, conditions suited it better. It was just more clean ball-striking.

Today it was complete opposite. It was more about, you know, the scrappy little shots that are dying, the high heavy, the variation, and especially the slower you actually hit the ball today, the more difficult it was to deal with, because it would just hold in the air and move and cut with all the spin.

I think Daria is very experienced and just did that to me, and I didn't want to do it back, basically, and I think that if I was more experienced or, like, you know, had practiced actually playing like that in practice, then maybe I could have implemented, like, a similar thing.

It was just a tough matchup for the day.

Q. I just saw an Instagram post about taking the positives. You mentioned a couple of them, but just a few more of the positives you're taking from this week heading into Wimbledon?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think I put some good level out again. Just to be able to back up a week like Nottingham, obviously I'm very happy with.

I think the biggest win for me is I was able to play three matches back to back. Today physically I actually felt fine. It wasn't to do with anything being in pain and three high-level matches.

Also yesterday the match was close to three hours. Plus the warmup before, I played almost four hours on court, and this morning I pulled up completely fine. I mean, I was surprised about it. That has to be a huge win. That's a big positive.

I spoke a little bit yesterday just overcoming some things, and I did that. Yeah, have just been really enjoying my tennis, which is what I said at the start of the week, and the fact that, you know, today hasn't really dented my confidence at all or my approach or mentality is a massive win for me.

Q. If there is one word to describe the grass court season you have had, what would it be?

EMMA RADUCANU: I would say "resilient" is my word that I always pick, just because I just keep finding myself coming back to it, overcoming challenges, and yeah, "resilience."

Q. Mentally, how are you feeling approaching Wimbledon?

EMMA RADUCANU: I feel good. I think I should be very confident. I feel like I have every right to be in the position that I am now, because I have been training, I have been working for it. I think that, you know, losing today means I get a day off tomorrow and then get to train at Wimbledon.

So you have to just spin everything to be a positive. For me, that's how I'm going to spin it right now.

But I'm looking forward to it. Like, I'm very happy to be back in London. It's, yeah, where I call home. It's where I missed last year so much. Spoke a little bit about the feeling of going to Wimbledon last year, the commitments, wanting to do everything to be on the other side of the playing. Yeah, I think that's going to be a very important feeling for me to remember next week.

Q. Part of the commentary suggested that you may have been a bit tired after your previous matches here, but what you have just said would seem to disagree with that. Are you happy with your fitness levels?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I wasn't tired at all. I was feeling really good. I think I just dealt with the circumstances badly. Yeah, was very inflexible in my approach. Like, that's my honest reflection of the match.

But physically I'm in a really good spot, and yeah, I could easily go and train now or train tomorrow. Like, I'm fine.

Q. Tough luck today, but a great week. In terms of just the adjustment or the challenge of adjusting today, what do you think you could have done, I suppose, in terms of plan B? Do you have confidence in a potential plan B, plan C, or in that moment are you thinking, it's plan A, that's my best way here? Like it can be a tough decision to make in the match.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think I always want to live and die by my strike, and that's got me quite far in other situations. Like yesterday, for example. But then I think there are some extreme scenarios like today where you can't, like -- I think today was one of those where I maybe, if I, you know, had the confidence in it to just, like, chip some back, scrape some back, throw some up high, be a little bit more patient in the rallies, not try and hit the ball very close to the line, because the wind would take it out.

I think just, yeah, not trying to play so well and just accepting that you're not going to feel good out there, like, you're not going to feel like you're playing good tennis.

And just being less stubborn. I thought I was very stubborn in the wrong way out there. Stubborn is one of my character traits. Sometimes it works for me, but sometimes it works against me. So I think that's just part of me maturing a tennis player too.