Emma Raducanu has opened up following her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open, with the tennis star losing her cool during the contest after a child was heard crying in the stands.
The British No 1 went into the showdown hoping to continue her impressive form, having improved considerably in recent months.
Emma Raducanu has opened up following her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open, with the tennis star losing her cool during the contest after a child was heard crying in the stands
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“It’s been, like, 10 minutes,” she said, gesturing towards the source of the noise while serving at a crucial point in the deciding set.
The umpire was blunt in his reply, however, saying: “It’s a child. Do you want me to kick the child out of the stadium?”
Raducanu shrugged, though fans in attendance could be heard saying ‘yes’. She eventually nodded, suggesting she agreed that’s exactly what should happen.
Despite the defeat and controversy, however, the tennis star has now insisted she’s proud of her performance.
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“She’s world No 1 for a reason and I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon so that’s an improvement,” said the Briton.
“And also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it’s very different to grass.
“I was always thinking that grass suits me a lot more and I still believe that so to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I’m pretty proud of it.”
She continued: “I think starting the point is a big takeaway.
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RADUCANU IS COMPLAINING BECAUSE A BABY HAS BEEN CRYING FOR THE PAST “10mins” AND SABALENKA IS LOOSING THE EASIEST POINTS.
ABSOLUTE CINEMA. pic.twitter.com/npjTueGVQ0
— Set 1 Game 4 Break Point – NO (-130) (@enanrb) August 11, 2025
“I think she did that incredibly well in the big moments, she served and returned really well.
“Me too in certain moments of the match. To hold that level on starting the point in the match is a big thing to me.”
Raducanu recently started working with Francisco Roig, who was once a mentor for Rafael Nadal.
Roig was actually in the Spaniard’s box for all of his 22 Grand Slam title triumphs prior to his retirement at the tail end of last year.
And Raducanu believes there are promising signs from their alliance already, despite the short time they’ve been working together.
“You take the lessons from this,” she stated.
“I was able to play some good tennis for patches of the match, but I think it also dropped off for other patches of the match.
“So I think with work and going on the practice court, I can do it for longer and hold the level high for longer.
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Emma Raducanu was delighted with her spirited showing against Aryna Sabalenka
|REUTERS
“But that being said, we had a three-hour match and I felt pretty good out there for the most part against Aryna who’s achieved everything she has, so it’s mostly positives.
“I think the first week [with Roig] went well. I think we practiced well.
“I made some improvements and I think for certain moments, you could see some stuff we practised peek through.
“But given that it’s only been a week, I think there’s been improvements.”