Emma Raducanu overcame the wind and an ongoing back issue to earn a comeback victory over Ann Li in Eastbourne on Tuesday. And the Brit is now waiting to see how she pulls up ahead of her next match tomorrow.
The world No. 38 was forced to miss last week’s Berlin Open due to ongoing back spasms and the issue was clearly bothering her at times against Li. But she regrouped after losing a tight opening set and became emotional after sealing a 6-7(5) 6-3 6-1 win in front of her coach Mark Petchey and a special guest in her box – British No. 5 Fran Jones.
After the match, Raducanu said: “It was a physically demanding match. I think it was pretty difficult and in the wind, you’re constantly trying to adjust. We had some long rallies, you’re running a lot. So I feel okay, I mean, a little bit of fatigue and a bit of stiffness, but I need to just see how I pull up tomorrow.”
The British No. 1 teared up on court after booking her spot in the second round and thanked the crowd for getting behind her. She later explained: “I received some pretty bad news so I would like to keep it personal if that’s okay, but it was difficult and very emotional at the end and probably just a release of different emotions.”
Raducanu also took comfort from having fellow tennis player Jones in her corner. The current world No. 125 is also in action in Eastbourne this week and plays her second-round match on Wednesday.
But she played the role of coach on her day off, sitting in Raducanu’s box alongside Mark Petchey and cheering her on.
“I was at her match in Madrid and it’s nice whenever the schedule works, you know, we like to be there for each other. And today, obviously she’s a close friend of mine, so she kind of knew what was going on behind the scenes and to have her support there on a day like today meant so much to me,” Raducanu said of Jones’ special appearance.
“She’s someone who is so intelligent about tennis and about life as well, but, you know, she did so good and the best aim of the coach is, you know, to coach yourself out of a job. And when she left in the third set, I seemed to win through 6-1.
“So, yeah, I give her a lot of credit for that, and it’s nice to just see her on the side of the court, giving me a lot of support. But honestly, speaking about tennis, she’s someone I could also speak to for hours about picking apart tactics and technique and players and everything. It’s a really great sounding board.”
It was a windy day in Eastbourne and all the players have struggled in the conditions. But Raducanu was glad to pass the tough test.
She added: “It’s not easy to drop the first in a tiebreak and you to come back and regroup and also breakdown in the second set, I’m really, really proud of myself, how I kind of fought back.
“Then in the third set, really found an extra level and also got over the conditions today, which were really windy and it’s not something I’ve necessarily been good at in the past. So yeah, adding to that bank of experience too.”
Raducanu will now face Australian teenager Maya Joint – a rematch of their rollercoaster Italian Open clash in May, which the Brit won 7-5 6-7(1) 6-3.
Ahead of their second meeting, Raducanu said: “I remember our match in Rome, I came off and I was like ‘Wow, I had to play really really well to win that match’.
“I think I played some really great tennis that day in Rome and she’s obviously since has won her first WTA title and has really kind of taken off and it’s kind of in a way good to see that when you come off playing someone, you’re like, ‘Wow, they played like really well’ and then they actually like win it’s good to see.
“But I know I’m expecting a really tough match and she obviously beat Ons in the first round, which is really, really difficult. She’s had a lot of success on grass. So, yeah, I’m expecting expecting a battle.”