'I’ve been struggling with my back': Emma Raducanu details ongoing back issue after Queen’s exit

Emma Raducanu admitted she’s not yet at 100% physically and that there’s still much to improve during this grass-court swing, following a straight-sets defeat to Zheng Qinwen. The former US Open champion had earned back-to-back wins over Cristina Bucsa and Rebecca Sramkova to reach the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club Championships.

This time, however, she faced top seed Zheng, the current world No. 5, who has historically struggled to find her best form on grass. But the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist seems to be turning things around on the surface, reaching her first-ever grass-court semifinal.

Raducanu acknowledged that it was always going to be a tough match and admitted she couldn't find solutions against her opponent’s level: “I think it was a tough match. Qinwen played really well and served well. She took away one of my biggest strengths, which is my return. I think I have a lot of work to do, to be honest.”

The Brit also opened up about physical issues, though not serious enough to force her out: “I’ve been struggling with my back since Strasbourg, and it’s just been something on and off. I’ve been managing it quite well over the past few weeks, but now after playing five matches—two of which were doubles—the workload is testing it more. I felt it as the load increased.”

She added: “They took me off court and taped it to give me some extra stability, along with some painkillers. It’s been lingering for the last few weeks and I’ve had back issues before—it’s just a vulnerability of mine. I know I need to take good care of it.”