Emma Raducanu to Compete in Strasbourg Before French Open Debut

Strasbourg, France – Emma Raducanu will finalize her preparations for the French Open next week after receiving a wildcard entry into the draw for the Internationaux de Strasbourg. This comes after a promising performance at the Italian Open, where Raducanu advanced to the last 16 following three consecutive clay-court victories, the first such achievement in her career.

Initially, it was believed that Raducanu’s run in Rome would be her final tournament before the year’s second major. However, the 2021 US Open champion is eager to gain more experience on clay before the Grand Slam in Paris, which begins May 25.

The tournament organizers announced her participation via social media: “A new Grand Slam champion will step onto the clay courts of the £IS25: Emma RADUCANU!” The 22-year-old expressed her enthusiasm for additional match play, stating, “I would love to just keep improving, keep playing. I think that’s a positive for me.”

Raducanu, who faced defeat against Coco Gauff at the Italian Open, emphasized the importance of not shying away from challenges. She is looking forward to a brief break before stepping back onto the court in Strasbourg. “We’ll see how it goes in the next week,” she added.

In her quest to continue building her skills on clay, Raducanu will maintain her coaching relationship with Mark Petchey throughout the grass-court season. Petchey, a former British No. 1, has been balancing coaching and commentary but plans to focus solely on Raducanu during this critical period.

Raducanu has also been supported by fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who has helped her adjust to the demands of professional tennis. Since the departure of her previous coach, Nick Cavaday, in January, Raducanu has shown improvement in her performance and results under Petchey’s guidance.

As she looks forward to Strasbourg, Raducanu aims to work on specific aspects of her game to prepare for the challenges ahead. “I want to use this period of the clay season to try and work on certain things in my game that I think are going to help me bridge the gap to the next level,” she said.

The Internationaux de Strasbourg officially begins on Monday, allowing Raducanu one last opportunity to refine her skills before the French Open.