THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 4, 2025

Emma Raducanu

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/E. Raducanu

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Emma, not the result you wanted, but really great performance. Must be a lot to be proud of.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think it's difficult to see that right now, having just come off. It's hard. It's hard to take a loss like that. At the same time, I'm playing Aryna, who is No. 1 in the world, a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've said that you wanted to close the gap to the top players. Does a match like that show you that you are very much on the right track?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, it does. It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top. Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence.

At the same time, it's very difficult to take right now.

Q. Does that disappointment or frustration come from feeling you could have done things differently in the moments where you were ahead?

EMMA RADUCANU: I don't think differently. I think I could have just executed a bit better. In the first set as well I was struggling with the tension. I felt like the ball was flying. I had, like, all my racquets strung up fresh for the match, and it just felt like it was pinging completely different. It could have been a little bit because the roof was on. I sent a couple racquets to be restrung.

It takes, like, 20 minutes by the time they turn it over. Still, it was a bit difficult. I'm frustrated with that part maybe, small details. But I don't think I, like, could have made different choices. I think I should have just executed better.

Q. I heard you query a Hawk-Eye call with the umpire. Jack said yesterday that he didn't find it 100% trustworthy. What is your feeling?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, that call was, like, for sure out. It's kind of disappointing, the tournament here, that the calls can be so wrong, but for the most part they've been okay. It's just, like, I've had a few in my other matches, too, that have been very wrong.

So yeah, I don't know. Hopefully they can kind of fix that.

Q. It happens at other Hawk-Eye automated line calling tournaments?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yes, I think so.

Q. Obviously seems to have gone, from the outside, pretty well with Petch over the last few weeks and months. Are you going to go to him with the idea that you would like to keep working with him for the weeks and months as well?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, it's very difficult. He obviously also has his commentating commitments. He agreed to kind of help me until the end of Wimbledon and then we kind of see from there because he gave up some work to work with me here, which I really appreciate and I'm grateful for. That's a conversation that we need to have after a few days and the dust settles a little bit.

Q. I appreciate you're very disappointed now. Running the world No. 1 so close must give you confidence going into the U.S. hard court season and into the US Open now?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yes, it does. I gives me confidence that I'm not as far away as I perhaps thought before the tournament. I think before previously when I was playing those top-5 players, it was pretty convincing, the loss. So I think today to really push Aryna to the top, it does give me confidence.

But at the same time, like, I feel like grass for me is a great surface. It's a bit of a leveler in that sense. So I think taking it onto a different surface where it's a lot more lively in America is another challenge in itself.

Q. What is your process of dealing with that? Will you watch it back on your phone? Will you struggle to sleep tonight? How do you process the result?

EMMA RADUCANU: Well, first thing I did, I had a Kit Kat in the changing rooms (laughter). Then, I don't know, I'll probably find it tough to sleep tonight, or I'll be so exhausted and crash, but I don't know. It's going to take me a few days to process that.

But at the same time it really motivates me. It could be a good thing that I'm like, okay, I want to get straight back to work pretty much because it's not far, but I'm, like, there's still a lot of things that I want to do better, a lot of things I want to improve to really kind of solidify my game so that in the big moments I can back myself a little bit more.

I think, in due course, I'll watch it back.

Q. The roof closed, the atmosphere was pretty amazing. I haven't heard it that loud for a long time. What was it like for you to play in that atmosphere?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, it was incredible. The roof on, it just magnifies everything, everyone's support. To have the crowd going like that, it was electric.

I think when I look back at my career, I'm really going to remember that match because, yeah, you kind of play for those moments, to really be competing toe to toe with anyone, but especially with the very best.

I'm really grateful for all the support. They were really behind me. Yeah, just disappointed I couldn't get over the line.

Q. I think you said that at some point you'll be able to be over the disappointment and be able to look back with some pride. How long does that normally take after a big loss? What do you find you do to help you get to that place?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, it's very difficult. I don't think I've really had a loss like this in a long time, where I feel like I maybe had chances and didn't take them. I think usually I'm pretty good at converting.

Again, I'm playing Aryna, who is No. 1 in the world for a reason. I don't know. It's a little bit, like, an end of a season with the grass. We very quickly go back onto the hard in America, but I think I need a few days to reflect for sure on everything that I'm doing.

I think I did make good progress in the last few months, 100%, with the consistency and the work I've been doing. Yeah, I need to still keep doing more of the same.

But a loss like this, I don't know, it's going to take me a few days to get over, at least.

Q. You were really close in the match against Aryna today. What would you say in terms of the positives for you?

EMMA RADUCANU: Positives was that I was toe to toe with her. Before the match, I actually went into this match feeling more confident than previous matches against the top, but I think there is a big difference in first serve. I think that's something that I need to improve on.

I don't know. I'm, like, always quite critical, so I probably will just, like, right now come off and tell you all the things that I could do better.

I think the good things, I mean, I took my chances when it was there. I didn't execute all the time, but I think I returned really well considering she's got one of the best serves in the game.

But yeah, I need to work on my own serve.

Q. Aryna was very complimentary of you on court. How much confidence does that give you?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, it gives me confidence to kind of have pushed the best in the world to play some really good points and really good rallies.

Yeah, it's nice of her to say that, but I think it was pretty clear the difference. In the big moments, she was able to convert, she was able to hit some incredible shots.

Yeah, I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more.

Q. Already it sounds like you're smiling through the disappointment. You have to pretty quickly see a lot of positives from this week and last few weeks... being competitive, getting back to British No. 1 again. There will be a fair bit of positivity to build on in the coming weeks.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, I think I'm just very self-critical. It's hard to see. Of course, I'm very proud of being competitive on the court. I think I would rather that than it being completely one way.

But yes, there are positives. Right now it's so soon after the match. I think it's better for me to kind of feel a bit of the pain right now and then process it better that way.

Q. Going into the tournament, a lot of the talk was about your back, you had some problems there. Looks as though you played well in an intense match. That's another thing you can look at positively.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think it got better throughout the tournament. I was doing a lot of work on it. I'm happy it was kind of holding up because in Eastbourne it was kind of getting worse. Before the tournament, it was still quite stiff.

Today I actually felt pretty good on it. Been getting a lot of work on it. Been doing the right things off the court. So it shows me that being semi-professional works sometimes. That's helpful to know (smiling).