Emma Raducanu was unable to hold back tears during her press conference after exiting the US Open in the first round.
The 21-year-old was making her return to Flushing Meadows after missing last year’s tournament while recovering from surgery.
She failed to win a match at two years ago when she entered the tournament as the defending champion.
But Raducanu appeared optimistic about her chances of ending her wait for another match win at the US Open this time around.
Emma Raducanu wiped away tears in her press conference
USOPEN
She was given a difficult draw against 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin and was up against it after losing the first set.
Raducanu fought back to force a decider, but Kenin proved too much in the end for the British No 2.
Her defeat comes after she faced criticism for opting against playing through the qualifiers in Toronto and Cincinnati.
It meant her match against Kenin was her first in nearly four weeks as she chose to focus more on practice.
Raducanu cut a forlorn figure in her post-match press conference while admitting the way she manages her schedule will change in the future.
“I would have preferred to probably play a little bit more before coming into the US Open,” admitted Raducanu.
“I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything's automatic.
“So yeah, I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule slightly differently.”
Raducanu went on to explain it was a joint decision between herself and her team to return to London after the Citi Open.
Emma Raducanu has not won a match at the US Open since her famous victory in 2021
GETTY
“I would say it wasn't me. It was more of like a collective call,” she added.
“That's what happened. You can't really change it.”
The former British No 1 became tearful later in the press conference, admitting: “I feel down... I feel, I feel sad.
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Sofia Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020
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“Obviously, this is a tournament I really want to do well in.”
Raducanu next plans to play in the Korea Open next month and already has her eyes on the 2025 Australian Open.
“Until then, I'm just gonna go back to the drawing board and train and analyse where I went wrong and try and improve for the rest of the season,” she said.
“Obviously, the Slams are over for this year, but it's not actually that long until Australia comes around again.”
