Emma Raducanu’s quotes after her win against Ana Bogdan in Round 2 at Transylvania Open
US Open trophy, anecdotes: I haven’t actually seen it. I got it shipped straight at National Tennis Center, I can’t wait to go and see it, I don’t even know if it’s there right now. I thought it would be a gift, they have done a lot for me. It was a token of appreciation
What she did better than Tuesday: It was a difficult match, Ana is a great mover and a great athlete. It was very difficult to get past her, I felt like the ball kept coming back. On the run she was coming out with shots landing on the baseline. I managed to stay patience and, in the end, I served pretty well which helped me a lot in this match.
Part of her game she would like to work at: The biggest thing for me is physical, I need to be playing matches week in, week out and try to maintain the same level physically. I will focus on that in the off-season trying to maintain the same level.
Playing a Romanian in Romania: I thought the crowd was nice, at crucial time they were behind Ana, I was expecting that. I felt just as welcomed here in Romania. Unfortunately, one of us had to win today. I managed to pull through some difficult moments after being broken in the second set.
About using the slice: I think when I hit those splices is an inspiration of the moment. I occasionally worked them in practice, is not something I focus my attention on. I almost surprised myself with how well I managed to pull some of them off. I was pleased, they helped me in some crucial moment. I need to work on making them a more reliable tool.
Playing doubles: I enjoy playing doubles, but physically I need to focus on singles for now. I don’t have that much volume in me. After a few more years, a bit more work done, then I will start playing a little bit.
First WTA quarterfinal: Cool moment for me, I think that I had 0 on the scoreboard for the WTA, now I am happy to get on the board. It’s a new experience, I am happy my first two WTA wins are here in Cluj, in Romania. They cheered me on and made me feel welcomed. I want to stay in the tournament for as long as possible
Marta Kostyuk: Marta is a great opponent, she destroyed me in junior every single time. We played juniors tennis Europe, stopped in ITFs, She was full time playing on the road since a young age, she has developed a lot of sills She is a great mover, a great athlete. The matchup is going to be pretty different because we have both come a long way.
If she always knew her path is different: Its important to have that belief, when I had taken month off, because of the pandemic or exams, I definitely wanted to get out there myself but I needed to trust that I was doing the right thing. That hunger from taking the break has helped me this summer.
On having other interests: I think the architecture side was something my dad introduced me to. He studied structural engineering, he would always show me cool buildings and teaching me how they are still standing up. It started from him and now I have a genuine interest myself. Being able to travel the world has given me a lot of opportunities to visit cool places and see cool architecture. I am really grateful I can do what I love and travelling the world.
Having her dad in the tournament: Means a lot that he is in his home country. He wouldn’t usually travel, but because it’s Romania he had to come for sure. It’s great to have him here, he wasn’t in New York when that special moment happened, now he can really experience how is it like after a bit of success.
On possible playing Simona: I still have a very difficult match against Marta tomorrow, it’s very far ahead, but playing Simona would be amazing. It would be a real test to see where I am against a true champion. She is one of my idols, just watching her play here is a great experience for me.
What has she learned from the last two matches played here: From the first match I took that I can come back from a set down and still pull through because I haven’t dropped many times the first set. When I do drop the first set as I will going forward many more times, it’s still possible to pull it back. I haven’t had that exposure just yet. When you are not playing your best tennis you can still win. I don’t have to do anything special just fight. Today I definitely settled in. That first set helped me a lot and Ana Bogdan moves so well, it was so incredibly difficult to put the ball past her because every time she was on the run I feel the ball was coming back on the baseline and I had to start again. I learned to have good patience I against a great mover, these girls have been on tour for a long time and are more developed physically. Being patience, starting again and how good I need to be on the run physically
Watching Simona yesterday: First time I watched her live. It was a very cool experience, she moves really well. Watching her steps, and how she is moving it was really inspiring and hopefully if put some work in physically over time, maybe I will be able to move just as good as her one day.
