Raducanu Adds SURPRISE Clay Tournament After Madrid Disappointment

Emma Raducanu has added a WTA 500 tournament to her clay schedule as the 2021 US Open champion has been confirmed for Strasbourg, the tournament announced on Thursday. For this year’s clay season, Raducanu is set to have a packed schedule as she is now expected to play four tournaments leading up to the French Open. After competing in Stuttgart last week and making the quarterfinal, Raducanu also played at this week’s Madrid Open – which she exited early in the first round on Wednesday.

Now, Raducanu has returned home, where she will try to rest and recharge before resuming action in Rome, which starts on May 7th. After Rome, Raducanu will also play in Strasbourg, which starts on May 18th – exactly a week before the French Open. In Strasbourg, Raducanu will be joined by some well-known names such as Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina and Danielle Collins, etc. Also, this will be the first appearance on the clay courts of Strasbourg for the 21-year-old Briton.

Raducanu needs rest before returning to action
After great displays in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers and Stuttgart, Raducanu suffered a disappointing 2-6 2-6 loss to Maria Lourdes Carle in her Madrid opener. Afterward, Raducanu provided excuses for her loss. “I would say the last few weeks have been a lot. Starting from Billie Jean King Cup, I haven’t stopped,” Raducanu said after the loss.

“It’s just been back-to-back and I was very happy being able to help carry the team in BJK Cup and then straight to Stuttgart with no rest and then straight here and trying to adapt to the conditions which are very different because it’s outdoors and I was playing indoors for the last month. Many factors that have made it very difficult to fully compete today but overall I’ve been playing pretty well.” In the interview, Raducanu also said she would give herself some time to rest before resuming tennis activities.