The process of adjusting to the rigor and intensity of the entire season has always been a challenging task for Emma Raducanu since her victory at the US Open, but her inability to stay healthy is worrying.
Some kind of malaise affected her in most weeks of this year and this played a decisive role once again in her debut at the Italian Open on Tuesday. After blisters, hip injuries, back problems, illness and medical timeouts, Raducanu’s struggles to find a long period of good health continued as she was forced to retire early in the second set of her high-profile first-round match against Bianca. Andreescu with a lower back injury, the powerful Andreescu continues after Raducanu retired after she fell behind 6-2, 2-1.
Withdrawal is naturally a concern for Raducanu until the French Open, her next tournament, which starts on May 22. She arrived in Italy to recover from a back injury she struggled with in her run for the third round of the Madrid Open last week. During her practices here, she reached for her back many times and her movement was restricted.
“I am definitely disappointed with how it went today,” she said. “But I wanted to try. I never knew how bad it was until I went out there.
“I’m still learning when it’s right to push and pierce my body and when not. I guess that’s something I’m learning in these tournaments. “
The long-awaited race between two US Open champions, played at the Grandstand, the second largest but least attractive court, was one-sided from the start. Andrescu arrived on the court, attacking relentlessly and she maintained this intensity until the end, putting pressure on her opponent with brutal returns and delicate touches, controlling the main line and attacking his heavy forehand relentlessly with minimal mistakes.
Under such prolonged pressure, Raducanu deviated between passively throwing the ball too short or hitting it too hard, her body language impassive and her movement limited. After Raducanu missed a 1-2 serve with a double fault, Andreescu hit a backhand winner to take the second break.
Down 2-5 and swinging, Raducanu took a medical timeout behind him. After a long pause, Andrescu came to a certain degree of confidence when she calmly returned to serve the love set. She finished the set with 16 winners and two unforced errors and smashed nine more winners to open the second set.
Raducanu decided to get rid of his misery by telling the judge, “I can’t move.
Bianca Andrescu deflects a volley during a dominant game against Emma Raducanu. Photo: Alberto Lingria / Reuters
Despite the unsatisfactory end for Raducanu, the match still gave some constructive conclusions for her opponent. As Andrescu continues his first steps back from a six-month mental health break and a longer period filled with physical problems, she showed more glimpses of quality and form that had distinguished her as one of her most intense talents a few years ago.
They are both playing their first full seasons on clay, but for Andrescu this is a special reflection of the battle with injuries that plagued the first years of her career. that can be noted again as a threat to the biggest titles.
For Raducanu, the question remains in what physical condition he will be for his first French Open. She enjoyed a generally fruitful season on the clay court, winning matches, adapting to a surface where she has minimal experience, and seems to be enjoying her time again after a particularly difficult start to the year. But she is still constantly struggling with her body, and she is constantly assuming that her body will get used to the intensity required of him and that she will adjust.
“I have to make sure my back is completely straight, no matter how long it takes,” she said. “I just have to keep going. I don’t want to play my next game with a sense of limitation. “
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Earlier on Tuesday, British men’s number one Cameron Nori reached the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Luca Nardi, a young Italian wildcard. Nori, the ninth placed, will face Marin Cilic in the second round.
Novak Djokovic, who said goodbye in the first round, also made it to the first round, defeating Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-2 in their second-round match. Djokovic will face Laszlo Jere or Stan Wawrinka and must reach the semifinals to remain No. 1 in the standings of Daniil Medvedev at the French Open.
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