NEWS
Emma Raducanu creates a schedule clash that complicates her French Open hopes
Emma Raducanu looks set to miss next week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, as she has opted to follow an alternative schedule ahead of the French Open.
Raducanu has enjoyed an encouraging return to form in recent weeks, with her two wins for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup inspiring her nation to an impressive 3-1 away win against France last month.
The 2021 US Open champion backed that performance up with a fine run for the quarter-finals of the high-quality WTA 500 event in Stuttgart, where she lost to world No 1 Iga Swiatek in two tight sets.
Yet there was some concern expressed over her physical condition and motivation, as Raducanu turned in a curiously muted performance as she lost 6-2 6-2 against No 82 Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round of the Madrid Open.