Emma Raducanu believes her “less is more” approach will pay off as she returns to action at the Madrid Open following a mid-season break.
Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Miami Open last month in her best tournament run since winning the US Open in 2021.
The 22-year-old required medical attention during her defeat to Jessica Pegula, and subsequently pulled out of the Great Britain squad for the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.
But Raducanu is back for the WTA 1000 event in the Spanish capital, where she will continue her “informal” coaching arrangement with Mark Petchey, and she believes the “reset” will have helped.
"I've realised now that less is more for me sometimes," Raducanu told Sky Sports ahead of the Madrid Open. "I work really intense and really hard and can definitely be partial to overkilling it sometimes.
“It's just making sure when I'm on the court I'm maxing out for X amount of time so I can focus, and then once I'm done, I'm switching off better.
“You hear a lot that people need matches and I say the same thing. Matches definitely help, but there's a time and a place. There are other times where you need to reset and get your bearings, because the season is very long.”
Raducanu will take on Dutch player Suzan Lamens, the World No 73, in her first-round match on Wednesday. Lamens, 25, defeated Katie Boulter in the singles match of Great Britain's victory over the Netherlands in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.
Raducanu rose to 47th in the world after her run in Miami and will be making her first appearance at a clay-court tournament of the season in the Spanish capital. She lost in the opening round to Maria Lourdes Carle last year, so has no points to defend.
