Emma Raducanu will attend the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which will be her first clay-court tournament on the WTA Tour, excluding the Billie Jean King Cup clash with the Czech Republic.
Representing Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup tie against the Czech Republic was a great lesson for Emma Raducanu. She went home with one win and one loss. More importantly, the young Brit played her first professional matches on the clay.
Now, it's time to play her first professional tournament on this surface, as she will take part in the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Raducanu is the eight-seeded at the tournament, and she will be facing qualifier Storm Sanders in the first round.
In the second round, she could meet the winner of the Italian matchup between Jasmine Paolini and Camila Giorgi. However, if the 2021 US Open champion advances to the quarterfinals, she could face a real test as world number 1, Iga Swiatek, is taking part in the event. Ahead of the tournament, Raducanu said:
"It gives me confidence for sure because I played Martincova, who's a great opponent, in Prague, which is her home place. It was a heavy clay court. Conditions were cold. So to get that win definitely gave me a lot of confidence."
"She's a great opponent. It's going to be an exciting clay season. I'm not sure how it is going to go. I keep telling everyone around me that one day clay is going to be my surface and I still believe that."
Clay is a relatively new surface for the British player, who still has to learn her way, but she already knows what is rewarded on the red dirt, and she will try to adjust her game accordingly.
"I think game-wise on clay, especially when you're playing outside, you definitely need to be a lot more patient and build the point. You can't just hit a big shot. Whereas on a hard court, you might be able to get a weak shot straight away. You really need to build the point a lot more, which takes a lot more energy and physical demand."
"You just have to be more crafty, I think, and I think it's a good lesson, especially for someone younger like me to develop more skills. I'm looking forward to spending more time on the clay as the years go by because I do like sliding and moving on it, and it's just about again being able to repeat over and over."