Emma Raducanu is determined to get back into the swing of things on home turf at the HSBC Championships after crashing out in the opening round of the French Open.
The British number one has drawn a qualifier for her opening singles match at the Queen’s Club, where she is also reuniting with compatriot Katie Boulter in the doubles, after the duo paired up when women’s tennis returned to the west London venue for the first time since 1973 last year.
Raducanu, who has battled a post-viral illness, played only one match in two and a half months before arriving in Paris, where she was defeated by Argentinian Solana Sierra.
“It was a tough match for me afterwards,” admitted Raducanu from Queen’s, where 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is set to make a comeback in the doubles alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko.
“I found the next day pretty tough, and I knew the best thing for me to do was to try to get back on the court straight away just to nip it in the bud.
“I got practicing pretty soon after. I took a long time away from competing, so I think from Strasbourg and the French Open it did teach me a few things that I can hopefully take into the grass season, but I haven’t had so many matches leading up to it, but I’ve been doing what I can day in, day out, so that’s all I can really (control) myself and keep going.”
Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of last year’s edition. This time, she is here with Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to the US Open title in 2021 and who she rehired last month.
The 23-year-old is hoping to rediscover some of the aggressive form she felt led to that historic triumph, which made her the first qualifier to win a singles major title in the Open era.
She remains the lone qualifying winner after Poland’s Maja Chwalinska – the second qualifier to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era – came runner-up to Mirra Andreeva at Roland Garros.
“I think a lot starts from the beginning of the point of serving and returning,” said Raducanu.
“I think that’s highlighted on the grass court, so working on the actual quality of the shot would be where I would start.
“That’s what I’m trying to focus on, and then it’s easier to implement that mindset if you start the point in a better way.”
