(Reuters) – Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu said she would make changes to her tournament scheduling following her first round defeat by world number 30 Anhelina Kalinina at the Qatar Open on Monday.
The 21-year-old suffered a huge dip in form the season after her 2021 Flushing Meadows triumph, and then spent eight months on the sidelines during an injury-hit 2023 following wrist and ankle surgeries.
Returning to the tour last month, Raducanu lost in the second round at Auckland, the Australian Open and Abu Dhabi, before crashing 6-0 7-6(6) to Kalinina in Doha, and the Briton is now planning to head home after a busy period on tour.
“It’s hard for me to get used to the tour schedule,” world number 262 Raducanu told Sky Sports. “It’s one tournament then another straight away.
“I need to schedule my tournaments a bit better and try to get more matches under my belt.”
Raducanu will need to be handed a wildcard to play next week in Dubai but media reports said she would take a break before returning for Indian Wells and Miami next month.
Raducanu made 48 unforced errors in her latest defeat and said playing during the day may have contributed to her lacklustre display.
“I was struggling with everything, serve, return, forehand, backhand. To be honest I felt like I never really got into it. It was a combination of things,” she added.
“Honestly, I need to practice training outside a bit more because it’s different and also the light, conditions, shadows – it’s hard to see the ball, I found towards the end.
“When the tennis isn’t there, you have to at least try to fight and I think I did that in the second set.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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