(Reuters) – Ninth seed Emma Raducanu said she did not expect to win against Anhelina Kalinina in the Madrid Open round of 16 due to back pain after being knocked out by the Ukrainian 6-2 2-6 6-4 on Tuesday.
The reigning U.S. Open champion requested a medical timeout in the first set as she had been clutching her back between points.
“I would have given myself a 5% chance of winning that match, and for it to almost happen, I think that was a positive thing,” Raducanu told reporters.
“I was kind of struggling a bit with my back, to be honest. Throughout the week I have been carrying some niggles, and it’s kind of just taking its toll, all of the matches at this kind of level.
“I did go into the match with that, and I was really struggling to move out wide.”
Raducanu added she was optimistic about returning to form in time for the Rome Open next week.
“I hope it’s enough time, because it would be a real shame to miss it,” she said.
“A lot of the time with me it’s just overload and then, you know, three days, two, three days complete rest and I’m okay to start training again.”
(Reporting by Silvia Recchimuzzi in Gdansk; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
