Raducanu tempers expectations ahead of Queen's debut

Emma Raducanu has tempered expectations ahead of her Queen’s debut, revealing a back injury that has hampered her grass-court preparations. Women’s tennis is returning to Queen’s for the first time in 52 years with the HSBC Championships, and Raducanu is set to be one of the main attractions.

The former US Open champion has been drawn against a qualifier in her first-round singles match, while she will play doubles alongside British No.1 Katie Boulter. Raducanu first made a name for herself on the grass at Wimbledon with a run to the fourth round in 2021, but admits that she might take a while to find her feet this summer because of back issues.

“I had a small interruption with a bit of a back spasm again, so that was a bit annoying,” said the 22-year-old, who could face reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the second round if she progresses. “So that kind of hindered my grass prep, but the last few days I’ve managed to get on the grass and just begin to try and find my feet.

“I can't really predict the future, how it's going to be, I know I've been managing my back for the last few weeks now, and it's something that comes and goes. It can be frustrating. I think when I was playing in Strasbourg in my second round match, it definitely hindered me, and first round in Paris, but I got through.

“I try not to let it get to me because I think I have a pretty good feel overall of when it happens, what to do and how to manage it. It does take a few days out, but all I can do is kind of deal with what's in front of me. My expectations, truthfully, are pretty low because, as I said, I played points for the first time today (Sunday).

“I've had maybe two, three days on the grass court, so it's not been much. But I just have to take it as it goes. I know that I'm doing what I can and I've dealt with everything as best as I can.”

Like Raducanu, Boulter has been drawn against a qualifier in her opening match, while fellow Brits Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage face tough first-round draws. Kartal, who reached the third round at Wimbledon last year, is up against Australia’s Daria Kasatkina, the 2024 champion at Eastbourne, while Burrage takes on American Amanda Anisimova, a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist.

Heather Watson will also take her place in the draw after coming through two rounds of qualifying, while Lily Miyazaki missed out after a three-set defeat to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa. And in the doubles, Boulter and Raducanu will take on Jiang Xinyu and Wu Fang-Hsien, with Boulter excited at the prospect of joining forces.

She said: “I think myself and Emma, we've been wanting to play for a while now. I think we've talked about it a lot of times, and unfortunately, it just hasn't quite happened for various reasons. I think (for the) first week on grass, to get a couple more matches is super important.

“I think we were actually here at Queen's, practising on the clay, and we decided we thought we'd come back and play on the grass together. It'll be extremely special. I've obviously come here quite a bit watching tennis, and I've got some really good memories of coming and sitting and watching Alex (de Minaur) the last few years.

“I've actually always said to myself, I wish there was an Olympic event here. I wish I got the chance to play on this court. Because you can feel the history. You can feel how incredible it is. I've seen this court packed, and obviously, it's bigger this year.”