EMMA RADUCANU HANDED A GLORIOUS CHANCE TO MAKE A BIG RANKINGS BREAKTHROUGH

Emma Raducanu has suggested she doesn’t feel comfortable playing on clay courts, but that mindset could change if she finds some winning form over the next month.

Raducanu took time away from tennis after her impressive run to the Miami Open quarter-finals, with that decision sparking some criticism at a time when the 22-year-old had real momentum for the first time since her 2021 US Open win.

There were some questions over when Raducanu would make her return to the WTA Tour, but he ranking secured her a place in the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid and she has arrived in the Spanish capital to play her first match on clay of 2025.

Raducanu only played six matches on clay in 2024, with two wins in the Billie Jean King Cup for Great Britain backed up with a couple of wins at the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart.

She turned in a flat performance in her first-round defeat against Maria Lourdes Carle in Madrid last year and did not play any more clay court tournaments last year as she focused on preparing for the grass court season.

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That means she has just 10 points to defend over the next few weeks and there are 4,000 ranking points up for grabs in the Madrid Open, Rome Open and the French Open.

If Raducanu won a couple of matches at each of those tournaments, she would be closing in on a return to the top 40 of the WTA Rankings and could overtake Katie Boulter to reclaim the title of British No 1.

If she can match her Miami Open run and make a quarter-final in either Madrid or Rome, Raducanu could get in the mix for a move into the top 32 of the WTA Rankings and a potential seeding at the French Open.

Being seeded for Wimbledon may be a more realistic goal, with the bumper ranking points available at a Grand Slam tournament offering Raducanu to make a big rankings lead when she plays at the French Open for only the second time in her career.

Former British No 1 Laura Robson is backing Raducanu to shine on clay courts, as she suggests the surface could suit the powerful ground strokes that served her so well in her Miami Open run.

“I’m sure Emma would like to do well on clay and grass this year and play a full schedule,” said Robson at a Sky Sports Tennis event.

“Clay is great for developing all areas of the game. Tactically, it’s a great surface to learn how to turn around matches when you are behind in slower conditions.

“Clay conditions change so much depending on the weather and where you are playing.

“Madrid is always so different to Rome and it might be that one set of conditions suits Emma better than the other.”

The draw in Madrid should encourage Raducanu, as she will face world No 69 Suzan Lamens in her first match, with the player from the Netherlands struggling for wins so far in 2025.

Raducanu could have faced one of the top seeds in the second round, but she will play world No 24 Marta Kostyuk if she beats Lamens.

A potential contest against No 9 seed Paula Badosa could await in round three for Raducanu and if she gets that far, she will have had the best run of her career in Madrid.

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2025-04-21T12:44:37Z