Emma Raducanu tearfully admitted she will look to ‘manage my schedule differently’ after she was beaten in the first round of the US Open by Sofia Kenin.
The 21-year-old is still waiting for her first victory at the US Open since winning the title three years ago.
Last night’s defeat was her first competitive match since August 2 and brings into sharper focus Raducanu’s decision not to not play any tournaments in the weeks leading up to the US Open.
‘I would have preferred to probably play a little bit more before coming into the US Open,’ admitted Raducanu after the defeat.
‘I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything’s automatic. So yeah, I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule slightly differently.’
Emma Raducanu broke down in tears during her press conference in New York on Tuesday
The Brit was dumped out of the US Open in the first round, losing to American Sofia Kenin
Raducanu, 21, was on court for two hours and 11 minutes but lost the three-set match
Asked to clarify whether the decision to return home to London after Washington rather than play qualifying in Cincinnati was a personal or a team decision, Raducanu replied: ‘I would say it wasn’t me. It was more of like a collective call and, yeah, that’s what happened. You can’t really change it.’
Becoming tearful as she tried to explain her state of mind after this defeat, Raducanu said: ‘I feel down… I feel, I feel sad. Obviously, this is a tournament I really want to do well in.’
Her opponent Kenin, 25, won the Australian Open in 2020 but a variety of issues have seen her ranking outside the top 50.
Despite this, she was able to cause Raducanu problems throughout the contest.
Raducanu settled down in the second set and played with more patience. She carried on an almost constant dialogue with coach Nick Cavaday between points as they sought to find a way through the Kenin defences.
She had a break point to go 2-0 up in the third set but once Kenin got her nose in front she was comfortable.
Sofia Kenin moves on to face either Shelby Rogers or Jessica Pegula in the second round
Raducanu has been battling a series of injuries throughout the year and hasn’t played much
Raducanu, who missed last year’s US Open, admitted she still hadn’t ‘come to terms’ with her 2021 win when her title defence ended in the first round. ‘I feel very proud when I come here,’ she added.
‘Walking past my photo every day, walking past my name on the trophy every day. I think that is such an epic achievement.’
Today’s defeat comes days after Raducanu described Andy Murray’s career as ‘old news’ and claimed the sport has already ‘moved on’ from his era of British tennis.
Raducanu controversially pulled out of the mixed doubles with Murray at Wimbledon, a decision that ended the Scot’s career at SW19 before his final bow at the Paris Olympics.
But, before the first major since 2005 without Murray at the helm of British tennis, Raducanu said: ‘It doesn’t feel different at all. Tennis is unforgiving in that sense. No matter who you are, it just moves on. There is always another match, there is always another tournament.
‘Of course Andy has achieved amazing things and I watched him win this tournament (in 2012) but it is a fast pace, just like life is. It’s old news the next day kind of thing.’
