Emma Raducanu is refusing to be dismayed after suffering a chastening defeat in her first match since last month’s historic US Open triumph.
Raducanu crashed out of the WTA Indian Wells tournament in a straight sets humbling by World No.100 Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The 18-year-old Brit looked rusty in her first match back on the court since September 11 when she stunned the tennis world at the US Open by becoming the first qualifier to win a grand slam title.
Raducanu bowed out 6-2, 6-4 against Sasnovich, before making the shock admission afterwards that it was perhaps a good thing she’d lost.
“I’m kind of glad that what happened today happened so I can learn and take it as a lesson so going forward I’ll just have more experience banked,” she said after the match.
Despite being a US Open champion at such a young age, the reality is that the 18-year-old had never played in the Indian Wells tournament before.
It was a fact she was keen to remind the tennis world about after insisting that the loss would serve as a learning experience for the humble star.
I’m still very, very new to the tour,” Raducanu added.
“I think that experience just comes from playing week in, week out and experiencing all these different things….
“For the bigger picture, I’ll be thanking this moment.”
Raducanu has been warned by many past and present players about the pressures that come with success at a young age, but the Brit said she is focused on maintaining a positive and stress-free attitude on and off the court.
“I didn’t go in there putting any pressure on myself because in my mind I’m so inexperienced, I’m just taking it all in,” she said.
