Emma Raducanu put her disappointing exit from the Transylvania Open down to tiredness as she continues to adapt to her whirlwind rise.
Marta Kostyuk dispatched of the 18-year-old in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, in Romania after she had registered her first match wins since the US Open.
While the Ukrainian, 19, was very impressive, Raducanu was disappointed by her limp performance but keenly aware that she needs time to consistently put out her best displays.
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Raducanu said. “I wasn’t physically feeling 100 per cent and was quite tired and lethargic today. Sometimes you have days where you don’t feel your best.
“I knew straight away today, when I was trying to practice I was very limited in what I could do. I wanted to go out there on the court and try my best and see if it would go better, but I couldn’t get it going unfortunately.
“I think it’s just the last six months. I have experienced a lot. I am still adapting to the fast-paced life of the tour and am still very new to it, so it’s still going to take me some time to adjust.
“It’s just disappointing that you have these days. It’s not a nice feeling to have. But you just need to move on from it and brush it off. I’ll be back in another tournament soon.”
