"He has put more years of training into tennis than I have, hopefully, after a few more years, I can do similar things" - Emma Raducanu on Carlos Alcaraz
Emma Raducanu's campaign in Rome ended prematurely with a mid-match retirement against Bianca Andreescu in the first round on Tuesday. The reigning US Open champion complained of back pain last week in Madrid and looked hampered by the same problem in her debut in the Italian capital.
Emma Raducanu retires 2-6, 1-2* down to Bianca Andreescu.
Back injury. https://t.co/vf17cOveJN
In her post-match presser, the 19-year-old was asked whether the recent success of other young players, in particular Carlos Alcaraz, have helped her strengthen her self-belief.
Alcaraz was recently crowned champion in Madrid and leads the ATP tour with four titles so far this season. Emma Raducanu lavished praise on her fellow teenager, acknowledging his ability to further his winning momentum with every passing week.
However, she pointed towards her relative inexperience on the pro circuit and backed herself to produce similar results to the Spaniard in a few years' time.
"I think what Carlos is doing is pretty incredible," Emma Raducanu said. "He was always an incredible tennis player, but just the ability to repeat and keep doing it, I think it's really good to see that he can be that consistent at such a young age. He's probably put a few more years of work and training into tennis than I have. But hopefully after a few more years or how long it takes myself, I could do similar things."
MASTERY IN MADRID 👑
Championship point as @alcarazcarlos03 won his second Masters 1000 title!
#MMOPEN https://t.co/HfuLoby1fN
The World No. 11 proceeded to assess her sudden exit from the WTA 1000 event. She revealed that she expected her back pain to reduce following a couple of days of rest after Madrid. The pain returned during her practice sessions in Rome, but Raducanu disclosed that she took a chance by taking to the court on Tuesday.
"I guess after Madrid I thought that maybe taking one, two days off, it would just go away because a lot of the other small niggles I've had, they kind of went away after taking two days off," she said. "Then I got here and I was training, but it just didn't seem to get better. I was kind of training with some limitations. I must have underestimated the unpredictability of competition in a match."
Nevertheless, the young Brit emphasized that she is learning about her body's limitations with such physical setbacks. She believes these challenges will help her cope with the vigorous demands of the sport in the long run.
"Definitely disappointed with how today went," she remarked. "But I guess I wanted to give it a try. I never really knew how bad it was until I kind of went out there. I'm still learning when it's right to push my body and push through it, and when's not. It's something that I've accepted. I think it's definitely had its challenges. I'm just kind of going through this process, just trying to develop."
"I would not want to miss the French Open, but I need to make sure my back is fully right" - Emma Raducanu
During her presser, Emma Raducanu was asked if she would consider sitting out the upcoming Roland Garros to be healthy for the grasscourt season. Raducanu said that while she wouldn't want to miss the Paris Major, she must prioritize her recovery.
"Obviously I would not want to miss the French Open", Raducanu said. "I think the last few weeks have been really positive. But I need to make sure my back is fully right, however long that takes. I need to just keep on it. I don't want to play my next match with a feeling of limitation because I think that I learnt my lesson from this week, when to push, when not to push. Probably today wasn't right."
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