Emma Raducanu has admitted blisters completely stopped her from moving as she succumbed to a one-sided defeat against Marketa Vondrousova in the Billie Jean King Cup.
The Brit, ranked at number 12 in the world, was visibly uncomfortable and was wincing in pain as she lost 6-1 6-1 in just 53 minutes. It’s not the first time Raducanu has faced issues with blisters as she seeks some sort of form in 2022.
The US Open champion is making her BJK Cup debut this weekend as Britain’s top player, which began positively yesterday. She won through 7-5 7-5 over the Czech Republic’s Tereza Martincova in what was the Brit’s first match in the team event and her professional debut on a clay court.
That victory secured a crucial point for her team but it was a very different story today as Raducanu’s injury completely hampered her efforts against her Czech opponent. Speaking to reporters after the defeat she shed light on the injury that caused her such problems.
"I have a blister on my foot, it kind of showed up after yesterday’s match and we’ve been managing it but, as you saw, I couldn’t really move or load either way and now it’s just about trying to get it better as soon as possible,” she said.
"It completely stopped me from moving, it’s tough to not even be able to chase the ball, even if the ball came around me I was struggling to get my feet out of the way and moving to my backhand. It was compromising every shot, it is very disappointing when you’re out there playing a rubber for your country and you feel completely redundant but I guess I can’t really do anything about it."
Despite the disappointing nature of today’s loss Raducanu is still trying to see the positives in her efforts with her 2022 campaign still yet to catch fire. The hope is that once her injury issues clear she may be able to have a steady run to build her best form.
"Of course it’s frustrating, for sure, but in some sort of twisted way it gives me a sense of confidence and relief that I don’t think it’s my tennis that’s the issue,” she said.
"I think my tennis level is pretty good, it’s just about being able to repeat it or maintain it or not be hampered by any kind of physical issues. As soon as I sort all these out and keep building on my tennis level then I think I will be able to put out good matches back to back."
These latest problems have now thrown her participation at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix into doubt next week. It was due to be her first WTA Tour event on clay in Stuttgart and provide her with more crucial experience on the tour.
Raducanu’s loss means the Czech team took a 2-1 points lead in the qualifier tie but Harriet Dart managed to keep Great Britain alive in the tie. She beat Linda Fruhvirtova in her singles clash to level the tie at 2-2 with the doubles clash to go. If the British squad win the tie they will qualify for a place in the BJK Cup Finals at the end of the season.
