After British No. 2 Emma Raducanu lost in the Round of 16 to Coco Gauff at the Internazionali BNL dāItalia, she has already added a new event to her calendar as she continues her preparations for Roland Garros.
The 2021 US Open winner has been granted a wildcard into the Strasbourg tournament, the event confirmed on Tuesday. āA new Grand Slam champion will step on to the clay courts of the #IS25: Emma RADUCANU!ā organizers wrote on their X account.
Raducanu had won three consecutive clay-court matches for the first time in her career at the Italian Open before falling to Gauff, who is set to rise to No. 2 in the rankings. The American defeated Raducanu in just over an hour in straight sets.
āI take good confidence [from the event],ā Raducanu said after the match, expressing optimism about her form. āI think for the first three rounds, I played really good tennis, and I came through some really tough opponents as well, last-minute changes, recovering after a set down, and two three-set wins, which was big for me. So Iām happy about that.ā
Raducanu and Coco Gauff shake hands at the net (Getty Images)
While she admitted she had played āa good 12 days on the trot,ā she is eager to return to the court. āI would love to just keep improving, keep playing. I think thatās a positive for me,ā Raducanu told Sky Sports. āI donāt want to go and hide in a hole somewhere. I want to get back out there, so thatās good.ā
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She was World No. 2, won five Grand Slams, retired at 38 and has a unique WTA record
Raducanuās 2025 season so far
After losing in the third round of the Australian Open to Iga Swiatek and suffering early exits in Dubai, Indian Wells and other tournaments, Raducanu had a strong run at the Miami Open, reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
She is likely to next compete at the French Open, which takes place at Roland-Garros from May 25 to June 8. Following her run to the last 16 in Rome, she is expected to rise to No. 42 in the world rankings, two spots behind British No. 1 Katie Boulter.
