"It's different when you have a target on your back" - Raducanu after Roland Garros exit

Thursday, 26 May 2022 at 15:45

Updated at Wednesday, 11 December 2024 at 13:53

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byErik Virostko

Emma Raducanu was playing well against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the 2022 Roland Garros but ultimately lost in three sets, and she spoke about the loss afterward.

The British player won the opening set of her first-round match at the 2022 French Open against Sasnovich 6-1, but she lost the following two sets 3-6 and 3-6, meaning she was out of the tournament after two matches player.

Following the match, Raducanu understood why she lost the match, coming to terms with the fact that players had been gearing up to beat her after she sensationally won the US Open in 2021.

Sasnovich has beaten her twice since she won the Grand Slam, and reflecting on the recent loss, the major winner said that having a target on her back certainly changes the complexion of her matches.

"It’s different when you are someone who may have a target on their back. Everyone raises their game, wants to play well, wants to take you out. That’s something that I have definitely learned this year and accepted."

As a Grand Slam champion, who wants to be able to follow up on those results, Raducanu understands that she needs to continue growing as a player, and that's something she thinks she managed to do in the past 12 months.

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While previously, she was more affected by losses, she learned to take them as losses now, and also learned how to fight for every single ball more on the tennis court.

"I think before I would let the losses affect me more than I am right now. Now, I just look at everything as a lesson, and I know exactly where I went wrong, where I can improve, where other people are better than me."

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"In the last 12 months, I have grown a lot. On court, I feel like I have probably improved how much I fight. That’s one of the biggest strengths and even more so on the tour this year. It’s opened my eyes to just how good everyone is and how much depth there is in the game"

At the same time, the Brit is aware that she still has an incredibly long journey ahead of her, especially on clay courts, as she first played on the red dirt only this year.

“But there are definitely aspects of my game that need to improve and catch up to where my ranking is. I had no expectations [on clay]. I put myself in four tournaments in a row, thinking I was going to lose first round in every one but I played a few matches in each.”