On Tuesday, British star Emma Raducanu advanced to the second round at Eastbourne after defeating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-0. She will next face Berlin champion and world No. 5 Pegula. This marks Raducanu’s second encounter with Pegula, who triumphed in their first meeting at the 2022 Cincinnati tournament.
After missing most of the European clay season, including Roland Garros, Raducanu has found her stride on grass. Two weeks ago, she reached the semifinals in Nottingham. Ahead of her Eastbourne debut, Raducanu told reporters that she felt refreshed and energized following a “fresh start” leading into the grass season.
“I think for me, it was just about adapting to the court. I’ve never played here in Eastbourne before, I’ve never played on Center Court before, so every court plays slightly differently. At the beginning, I was trying to figure out what works best for my game and my match.”
Discussing her adaptation to the Eastbourne surface, Raducanu mentioned, “I think maybe because the courts here in Eastbourne are quite new, they’re slower than Nottingham. So I think coming here, I really had to adjust.”
After the match, Raducanu signed “my own pace” in front of the cameras. Speaking about her changed approach to tournaments, she said, “I feel like I was kind of playing catch-up, doing too many tournaments before I was ready, and then just dealing with one little thing after another in each match because I never really gave myself any time to train and work. I think that’s an area where I’ve done better this year.”
“Although I might be questioned for not participating in events like Roland Garros or the Olympics, I think for me, it’s just part of my career. I want to do things on my terms, on my timeline, and not how others think is best for me, because only I and a few people around me truly know what’s best for me and my game.”