Emma Raducanu amused by her own “relationship” admission after kicking off Strasbourg campaign with a bang

Emma Raducanu began her campaign at the 2025 Internationaux de Strasbourg with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win over Daria Kasatkina. In the aftermath of the victory, the Brit spoke up about her blooming “relationship” with clay, and later, she shared her amusement at her own words.

On Monday, May 19, Raducanu finally snapped her losing streak against Kasatkina. The Brit had previously lost all three matches she had played against the Russian-born Australian. During her post-match, on-court interview, the 2021 US Open champion was asked if her performance against Kasatkina was among her best on clay.

In her response, Emma Raducanu suggested that she’d been able to carry on her momentum from the recently-concluded Italian Open. The Brit won her first three matches in Rome, marking the first time that she’s enjoyed three successive victories on clay. However, in the fourth round, she was dismantled by a rampant Coco Gauff.

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"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," Raducanu said.

The WTA No. 43 went on to lay bare her thoughts about playing on clay, which so far in her career has been widely regarded as her worst surface. Raducanu playfully suggested that she's growing a liking for the surface and building a deeper connection with it.

"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," she added.

Later, the former No. 10 took to her Instagram Stories and shared a clip of the on-court interview. She added three laughing emojis to the post, indicating that the Brit herself was quite amused at what she said about her improvement on clay.

Up next for Emma Raducanu in Strasbourg is a second-round clash against Danielle Collins.

Emma Raducanu to face Danielle Collins for the first time in Strasbourg 2R

On Wednesday, May 21, Emma Raducanu is set to take on Danielle Collins in the second round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg. The Brit and the American have never clashed on the WTA Tour before, which is likely to make it a tricky contest for both.

Collins reached the second round of the WTA 500 event after overcoming compatriot Sofia Kenin in the pair's opening-round match. The American, a former WTA top 10 player like Raducanu, also reached the fourth round of the Italian Open, but here, she was defeated by Elina Svitolina.

At last year's Internationaux de Strasbourg, Collins finished as the runner-up, while her once-upon-a-time "pen pal" Madison Keys won the title.

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

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