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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Matt Majendie

Emma Raducanu playing without expectation at French Open in bid to build Grand Slam fitness levels

Emma Raducanu insists she has zero expectations at the French Open after battling through three sets to win her opening-round match against qualifier Linda Noskova on Monday.

The British No1 dropped a tight first set on a tie-break, but fought back to win 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 and set up a meeting tomorrow against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.

Despite a strong start on her debut in the main draw at Roland Garros, Raducanu said: “I have no expectations here. I fought hard to be in the second round and I am just looking forward to trying to stay here as long as possible.”

The 19-year-old likened the feel of the French Open to last year’s US Open, where she stormed to a fairytale first Grand Slam title on her debut there. She will be hoping to go on a similar run in Paris.

“The French Open gives me similar vibes to the US Open, just because of the crowd and how involved they get,” she said. “It’s a complete contrast to Wimbledon, where it’s dead silent. You can actually hear a pin drop before you serve, it’s incredible.”

Raducanu’s 2022 season has been beset by various injuries, which have curtailed her progress since New York. A back complaint has been her most recent issue in the build-up to the French Open.

But she said doing gym work every day before and after going on court for training had helped strengthen her as she tries to put together a string of good results on clay ahead of the grass-court season.

“Physically, I think I was really good out there,” she said, after the three-setter against her Czech opponent. “I think that [my fitness] is definitely improving. Last week, I was doing a lot of gym work, a lot before and after practising, just keeping all the muscles fired up.

“It’s something I haven’t really done before, training through tournaments. I am pretty pleased with how I was out here physically and I feel really good.”

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