Emma Raducanu has seen her solid start to the season dealt a big blow, after her disappointing first-round exit at the Madrid Open.
The Great British tennis player, who had enjoyed a fine few weeks on the clay, saw her progress severely stunted against the world number 82, María Lourdes Carlé.
And whilst the Argentine did perform well, her opponent barely put up any fight, and it always felt like there would only be one winner.
Raducanu has now sought to explain herself.
Emma Raducanu offers Madrid Open excuse
Speaking immediately after her first-round mauling, in which her opponent simply battered her into submission, Raducanu sought to offer some kind of explanation for such a torrid showing.
The 21-year-old who had looked like a renewed player since the start of the clay court season, had lost all of that fighting spirit which saw her claim huge victories against the French in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.
And as such, despite huffing and puffing, she just could not break down Carle’s resolute defence.
However, she had a number of excuses for such a showing, noting: ‘I would say the last few weeks have been a lot.
‘I think from the performance today it was very clear that mentally and emotionally I was exhausted.
‘I was trying to push through and I was just unable to push through today. I guess the sport is just pretty brutal.’
Not only that, but she also cited the absence of her coach, Nick Cavaday, continuing: ‘I definitely missed him not being here, so that kinda sucked. I had Iain here, which was great that he was able to drop everything and come out.’
Disappointment after a promising start to the clay court season
After such a strong showing in that aforementioned Bille Jean King Cup showing, and taking that success into Stuttgart too, there was a real expectation that she might be able to enjoy a special run in Madrid.
Especially given the manner in which she easily dispatched Angelique Kerber, a former world number one, before then bagelling Linda Noskova in the first of a straight-sets win.
Even in losing to Iga Swiatek, which is no insult, she put up an admirable fight which showcased her promise on this surface and garnered the Polish player’s praise.
So, to see her broken six times throughout the match, whilst winning a mere 41% of points on her first serve and an even worse 30% on her second, was pitiful.
There was clearly something deeper going on in this match, as I cannot remember such a poor performance, devoid of any character, quality or passion.
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