Emma Raducanu said she will take her loss in the Transylvania Open final positively, revealing she has found her “identity” on court and is playing “the way I want to”.
Raducanu lost in the Transylvania Open final to local favorite Sorana Cirstea in straight sets, missing out on a chance to win her first title since winning the US Open in 2021.
Raducanu, who is expected to move up five places to world No. 25 on Monday, admitted she was feeling the effects of Friday’s marathon semi-final victory over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Olnikova.
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Highlights of the Transylvania Open final between Emma Raducanu and Solana Cirstea
“I’m really happy to have made progress this week and reached the final,” Raducanu told Sky Sports in an exclusive interview after the loss.
“It means a lot to me. I’m sad that I couldn’t go a little better today, but I think Solana played incredibly from start to finish. And after yesterday’s fight, my energy was pretty low. I’m really happy with the steps I took this week and I think it’s going in the right direction.”
The British number one, who lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Anastasia Potapova, admitted in Cluj-Napoca that she was suffering from an infection and fatigue.
“There wasn’t a lot of energy and it was really difficult. Solana played very well. If she wasn’t 100 percent, she didn’t have a chance, and even if she was 100 percent, she was still playing great tennis. So, all the credit to her, she really deserves this match.”
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Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend believes that if Raducanu can find the right balance with the right coach, she could have a great year of tennis.
Raducanu has the support of LTA coach Alexis Canter after leaving the team with Spaniard Francisco Roig after just six months.
“He helped me, he hit me with it, he was there for me through different stages, completely different styles of the game, trying to get me back to myself, my game identity, playing the way I want to play,” Raducanu said.
“I think this week was a good step in that direction. I’m really happy with how the week ended. I don’t know what I’ll do next, but so far things are going well.”
“I think it’s important to find your style on the court and leave your mark on it and just let it come from within.
“I can say I’m happier, but I still have a long way to go. I’m definitely going in the right direction. You can’t go from zero to 100 right away.”
Raducanu has not yet decided whether he will play in next week’s Qatar Open in Doha, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. There, she was given a first-round match against Camila Osorio, and was placed in the same quarter as Coco Gauff, Leila Fernandez and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
“Raducanu needed a match in the bank.”
Raducanu had a successful week in Romania under the guidance of LTA coach Alexis Kanter
Miles McLagan, former coach of Laura Robson and Andy Murray, told Sky Sports Tennis:
“It was a combination of problems. It was a perfect start for Sorana Cirstea. She came out with a sense of purpose, full of aggression and it worked. There were some moments where Raducanu could have gone into the game and tried a little harder, and it could have put a little more stress on Cirstea, but even if the first eight games went by in a flash, she got back to 2-2 in the second game, but that fifth game was important.”
“Maybe things would have been different if Cirstea hadn’t been able to get over herself? It seems like it wasn’t fatigue, it was some kind of physical problem for Raducanu at the end. She wasn’t chasing the ball, but it was a positive week. Whenever you go to a final, you forget about the back-to-backs. I just feel that’s what Raducanu needs.”
“There were so many injuries, so many coaching changes and turnovers, so there was a little bit of consistency and belief. You just have to bank those games to start trusting your body and trusting your decision-making in tougher situations. Then once the dust settles, we’ll see a positive result.”
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