Emma Raducanu comments say it all as Brit loses ahead of French Open | Tennis | Sport

The outing was her first in more than two months after she had been sidelined with a post‑viral illness, forcing her to miss events in Miami, Linz, Madrid and Rome. Raducanu’s previous appearance came at Indian Wells, where she lost in straight sets to Amanda Anisimova in early March. Although little separated Raducanu and Parry for long spells, the Frenchwoman’s resilience proved decisive as she came from behind in both sets to seal the win and move into the next round.

Raducanu now faces the challenge of rebuilding rhythm and confidence before the French Open women’s singles gets underway at Roland Garros on Sunday (May 24). However, she isn’t dwelling on the defeat and accepts it will take time to get back to her best.

“Diane came in with a lot of confidence from her win last week and played some really good tennis,” she said, before heading across the Channel to step up her preparations.”I think I played well in moments but, yeah, it’s been a long break since I’ve played a competitive match.

“It’s going take a little bit of time before I find my groove on the match court. I’m proud with how I fought and competed throughout the whole match.

“I’m feeling as though I’m just trying to take care of each day as best as I possibly can.”

With the French Open fast approaching, the Brit has little time left to fine‑tune her preparations, and her lack of rhythm and form means expectations should be lowered. Ahead of the tournament, Raducanu sits 37th in the WTA rankings and will not be seeded at Roland Garros.

The draw will take place on Thursday in Paris, with the Brit included in the main draw after her entry was confirmed in April. Coco Gauff will return as defending champion after beating Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final.