Emma Raducanu’s career has been plagued by injuries since her 2021 US Open victory. After surgeries on both wrists and her left ankle in 2023 and coping with them throughout 2024, she aimed for a fresh start this year. A promising third-round appearance at the Australian Open gave hope, but setbacks soon followed. Early exits and a stalker incident in Dubai tested her resolve. Still, her quarterfinal run in Miami offered a glimmer of hope. Now, making her second French Open appearance since 2022, she seeks to surpass the second round. However, fans aren’t as merciful in their expectations.

On Wednesday, Raducanu admitted she was battling an illness as she fought through a three-set marathon. She took down China’s Wang Xinyu in a compelling, nailbiting match that included a medical timeout at 6-5 in the first set. Despite Wang taking the second set, Emma persevered to clinch a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory in two hours and 44 minutes. This could be the longest match of her clay-court career!

The Tennis Letter expressed excitement for her next match, tweeting: “Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu will face each other next at Roland Garros. Can’t wait for this. ❤️” Will it be easy for Raducanu? Hard to say. Clay has been her least favorite surface, and she has struggled with her form there before.

However, this year she has shown improvement on clay. At Strasbourg, she noted she was “building” a relationship with the surface. She noted after taking down No.6 Daria Kasatkina in the opening match, “I think I’ve been building towards this. I think I had 3 great matches in Rome and the 4th I played an opponent who was better than me on the day. To kind of bring that level here, I’m really proud. But I think as I spend more time on clay I’m starting to like it more and more. I’m building my relationship with the surface.” Still, she only made it to the round of 16.

Will she progress at Roland Garros? Fans aren’t too keen on it. Despite her struggles, Raducanu’s determination shines through. Her journey on clay is far from over, and this French Open could be a turning point. The tennis world will be watching closely.

Fans express brutal opinions on Emma Raducanu’s next match

Seeing the matchup, one fan wrote on X, “Swiatek will breeze past her in two straight sets.” This is no surprise given the Pole’s dominance on clay. Iga Swiatek is widely known as the ‘Queen of Clay,’ having won four French Open titles (2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024). Her record on clay is staggering: 35 wins and just 2 losses, a 95% win rate. Raducanu, by contrast, is less experienced on this surface, holding a 27-14 record. Another fan summed it up perfectly: “Yeah I can’t wait for IGA to win 6-2 6-2 jazda!”

Another fan was blunt: “Emma isn’t even a thing. She is just one slam wonder. Never won anything after that.” That might be true. Raducanu exploded onto the scene with her 2021 US Open win at just 18. She powered through ten matches, including three qualifiers, without dropping a set.

Her aggressive baseline play and poise were remarkable. She capped it off with a straight-sets win (6-4, 6-3) over Leylah Fernandez in an all-teen final, becoming the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam. But since then, she hasn’t claimed another title.

Iga’s strength beyond clay also worries fans. One wrote, “Easy win to iga 🤍🤍.” Swiatek holds a perfect 4-0 record against Raducanu in WTA matches since 2022, never dropping a set. Their latest clash at the Australian Open ended with a crushing 6-1, 6-0 win for Swiatek. Another fan echoed the sentiment: “Zero chances for the Brit, unfortunately.”

Raducanu’s recent medical timeout at the French Open drew attention too. A fan asked, “How many MTOs will Emma need?” She took the timeout right after winning the first set, icing her face and having her blood pressure and heart rate checked.

Raducanu has frequently used medical timeouts due to physical issues. At Wimbledon 2021, she retired in the fourth round with breathing problems. In 2022, she withdrew from the Abierto Zapopan with cramping and fatigue, retired from the Italian Open with a back injury, pulled out of the Korea Open semifinals due to a left glute injury, and ended her season early after a wrist injury at the Transylvania Open.

Still, the Briton is coming back with fresh energy and a hunger to win. Maybe this time, it will go her way? What do you think? Let us know in the comments!