Emma Raducanu’s quotes after losing to Marta Kostyuk in the Transylvania Open quarter-finals (6-2, 6-1)
Initial thoughts on tonight’s match: It was a tough match for me, Marta did well to stay focus, she is a great athlete. I knew it would be a difficult match. I wasn’t physically feeling 100%, I was quite tired and lethargic today. Sometimes you just have those days where you don’t feel your best. All credit to Marta to stay focused, she’s a great opponent, got a lot of balls back in play.
On the high number of errors and the 7 double faults: I was tired, I knew from practice. I wanted to go out there and try my best and see how it was going to go. I couldn’t get it going today.
Not being able to face Simona in the semifinals: It’s just disappointing that you have these days. It’s not a nice feeling to have. I just need to move on from it, brush it off and then I’ll be back in another tournament soon.
Marta remembering previous matches in juniors did that play on her mind: No, she is a good opponent regardless of what happened. We both come such a long way, it was a completely different match now. She played very well and I wasn’t there, I didn’t deserve to win, that sucked.
Take anything from this experience: It’s tough, I knew from today when I tried to practice that I was very limited on what I could do. I did try best but I was very, very lethargic today.
Plans on going to visit her grandma: I don’t know yet because of the pandemic I want to protect her, it’s a difficult situation with the cases, I haven’t decided what I am going to next.
Off season preparations: I am going to do a full off season. After Linz I will probably have a week off, to reset, be mentally fresh and physically fresh for the tough pre-season. It’s going to be my first one and, from what I’ve heard, it’s a very difficult four weeks physically. I want to prepare for that into next year.
If being the center of attention in Romania has contributed to feeling tired: It’s just the last 6 months, been a lot of learning. I’ve experienced a lot in the last six months with not so much gaps, just adapting to the fast pace life of the tour. I’m still very new to it and it will still just take me some time to adjust.
Reflection on this week: I loved my time here in Romania, the hospitality has been incredible, everyone has been so welcoming. It’s been nice to feel like they have taking me in. I am disappointed that I couldn’t stay here longer. It has been a positive week, I have very good memories of this country.
Description of the week spent in Romania: I loved my week here in Romania, people were welcoming and the hospitality was great. Everyone made sure that everything was as good as it could be. I am very grateful to everyone who welcomed me. In a way, I was surprised with how the Romanian crowd got behind me. I am disappointed that I couldn’t put on a better show for them. I would have loved to have fans watching the last few matches. Hopefully, I will come back to this or another tournament in Romania next year.
Follow up on her coming back to play in Romania: 100% I will be coming back to tournaments. I will make sure that those tournaments here will take a big priority in my calendar because they do mean a lot to me.
What moment from Cluj would she describe to her grandmother: The people have been so friendly, I want her to know that I’ve been well taken care of. I couldn’t believe how welcomed they made me feel. I hope she is proud of me that I made a short speech in Romanian because all of my Romanian is her work. She spoke at me from a young age on phone calls, that’s how I picked up my knowledge of the language. I hope that I can spend more time here and improve it even more.
Who is she rooting for to win the title: I would love to see Simona. She is still one of my idols, I love to watch her play and learn from her. It’s a shame I couldn’t play her. I think she’s a very cool person, a great player. I can’t wait to watch her for the rest of the tournament.
If she has gotten the chance to see around the city: No, I haven’t seen anything so far. I’d love to fit something in because it’s such a beautiful place from what I’ve seen in the car journeys from the hotel. It’s a lot of nature and very picturesque. Not sure what my plans are, but I would definitely love to.
