Emma Raducanu admits she didn’t think at all about the Dubai stalking incident in Indian Wells and said her early loss happened because she wasn’t prepared well but also the very tricky conditions.
On Thursday, the 55th-ranked Briton saw her campaign in the desert come to an end in the first round after Moyuka Uchijima handed her a 6-3 6-2 defeat.
From start to finish, a strong wind was blowing and it was clear that Raducanu was struggling and unable to impose or play her game.
On the other side, Uchijima did a great job of just reducing her mistakes but also adapting well and being creative with her shots.
While the conditions were undoubtedly very tricky, some also wondered if the 2021 US Open champion had the recent stalking incident in Dubai in mind and if that impacted her performance against the Japanese.
Raducanu: I didn’t think about the Dubai incident at all
“I didn’t have what happened in Dubai in my head at all today. I think, if anything, like a bit of a lack of preparation on the tennis court, playing someone who played pretty good in these conditions, I mean, extremely awkward in the wind here,” the 22-year-old explained.
“But I think it depends what sorts of frame of mind you’re in. I think all the players will say, you know, if they’re feeling good, like, it’s great. If they’re not, like, it can be more difficult and challenging.
“You have to just overcome whatever hurdles that come your way and just keep going forward.”
Through her opening six tournaments of the year, Raducanu only has three wins.
In 10 days, the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami is starting and the Briton will be looking to bounce back there and potentially kickstart her season.
In the past, Raducanu didn’t enjoy much success in Miami, only going 1-2 in her back-to-back appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Tennis World USA