‘Exhausted’ Emma Raducanu thrashed by qualifier María Carlé at Madrid Open

Professional tennis players face a tough challenge of not only delivering an impressive performance, but also keeping up the same momentum week after week, no matter what the conditions are, for an extended period. Emma Raducanu has proved that she can deliver incredible performances in short bursts, but maintaining consistency and durability has been a challenge for her. Unfortunately, she faced a significant defeat on Wednesday at the Madrid Open, where she lost to Argentinian qualifier, María Lourdes Carlé, by a score of 6-2, 6-2 in the first round.

When Raducanu got to Madrid, she had just succeeded in leading Great Britain to a win against France in the Billie Jean King Cup. Her next achievement was reaching the quarter-finals at the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart, where she only lost to the world No 1, Iga Swiatek, by a narrow margin. However, her recent performance in Madrid was not good. She had a hard time finding her rhythm, and ended up missing her shots badly, with a lot of unforced errors made from both sides of the court.

Carlé deserves recognition for making it through the qualifying round with ease, as she won every match without losing a single set. She entered the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Stadium with a strong sense of self-assurance and a playing style that was well-suited for clay. She skillfully outplayed Raducanu with a combination of her powerful forehand, strategic angles, and tricky drop shots.

Raducanu expressed that the match was challenging because her opponent played exceptionally well. She acknowledged the other player's expertise on clay courts and credited her for playing an outstanding game. Raducanu admitted that her performance fell short in comparison.

Raducanu explained that feeling exhausted was one of the factors that contributed to her lackluster performance, despite only competing for two and a half weeks.

The past few weeks have been quite busy for me. It all began with the Billie Jean King Cup and since then, there has been no break. I'm pleased to have been able to contribute to the team's success in the BJK Cup, but I've had to adjust quickly as I moved on to Stuttgart and then to my current location. It's been challenging due to various factors, particularly the outdoor conditions, since I had been playing indoors for the past month. Despite the difficulties, I think I've been putting up a decent performance.

Raducanu participated in the Madrid competition without her usual coach, Nick Cavaday. However, Iain Bates, the Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis, was present and had joined her team on short notice. Raducanu expressed that she missed her coach and felt disappointed about his absence, but she appreciated having Iain there. She acknowledged that the situation was not ideal and struggled to manage it appropriately.

Raducanu was given a wildcard for the Madrid Open, which is now under new ownership by her agency, IMG. However, she did not make good use of this chance and is now in a peculiar situation. It is uncertain if she will receive a wildcard for the Italian Open, which is the next tour-level event on the schedule. Many lower-level European WTA 125 tournaments are available in the upcoming weeks, which could be useful. Nonetheless, Raducanu, who is 21 years old, has not expressed much enthusiasm in participating in smaller tournaments thus far.

When asked about her plans for the future, Raducanu replied that she will be taking a break in the upcoming days to recuperate. She mentioned that she was mentally and emotionally drained after her performance. Raducanu said that even though she tried her best, she couldn't push through during her match today despite feeling great on the court. She expressed disappointment that she lost, but acknowledged that it's just the way the game is sometimes.

Harriet Dart, who is also British like Raducanu, was defeated in two consecutive sets, 6-4 and 6-4, by Cristina Bucsa from Spain. However, Jack Draper managed to secure a victory against Thanasi Kokkinakis from Australia in a tense match with scores of 6-3, 3-6, and 7-5. His triumph sets up a match against the eighth seed, Hubert Hurkacz, in the last-64 round.