Emma Raducanu’s thoughts are already clear after suffering big Wimbledon blow | Tennis | Sport

Emma Raducanu believes being unseeded for Wimbledon will help her development, despite her disappointing defeat at the hands of Qinwen Zheng at Queen’s on Friday. The Brit suffered a 6-2 6-4 defeat in the quarter-finals of the competition against the No. 1 seed.

Raducanu left the court for medical treatment on her back during the clash and the 22-year-old’s fresh injury blow has seen her pull out of next week’s Berlin Open. It means she will not be a top-32 ranked player by the time of Wimbledon at the end of the month but the former US Open winner isn’t fazed and insists there are positives to her situation.

Speaking after the loss, she said: “I think being seeded obviously helps in Masters, helps in Slams and a lot of tournaments so you’re not playing one of the top players early rounds.

“But I think maybe my goals have slightly shifted from being seeded to actually improving my game, and when I play those top players, making it closer and feeling more competitive rather than just feeling: ‘Okay, I maybe get to the third round of a slam but then lose comfortably to one of the top players’.

“I think I’d rather have a more competitive match, even if that means losing first round, second round. I think that, to be honest, is how I feel right now.”

Raducanu’s attitude is admirable as the Brit continues to search for her best form since becoming a Grand Slam champion in 2021. She is hopeful of playing Eastbourne before Wimbledon, despite pulling out of the Berlin Open.

Discussing her injury with the BBC, Raducanu said: “I’ve played five matches in a pretty short amount of time. I’m probably feeling that, so I need to let the back rest and see how it goes from there.

“I’m not overly concerned that [the back issue] is something serious. But I know it’s something that’s very annoying and needs proper and careful management.”