Latest news with #grasscourtseason
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Raducanu says ‘expectations are pretty low' for Queen's Club after back spasm
Emma Raducanu has admitted she is unsure how her body will hold up to the rigours of the grass court season after another back spasm in training. The 22-year-old's latest injury concern came as she was preparing for the first women's tournament at Queen's Club for 52 years, and left her unable to practise for several days. It was Raducanu's second back spasm in three weeks, after initially experiencing the problem against Danielle Collins in Strasbourg a week before the French Open, and she admits she goes into the Queen's Club event with low expectations as a result. 'Of course I want to win this tournament, like every tournament, but especially when it's at home,' Raducanu said. 'But my expectations are pretty low, because I played points for the first time today, and I've had maybe two or three days on the grass courts, so it's not been much.' Asked whether she was worried about it affecting her grass court season, Raducanu replied: 'I can't really predict the future, and how it's going to be. I know I've been managing my back for the last few weeks now. It's something that comes and goes. 'It can be frustrating. When I was playing in Strasbourg in my second-round match it definitely hindered me, and in the first round in Paris when I got through. But I try not to let it get to me. I just have to manage it and take care of it when things happen.' Raducanu knows she faces a stacked field at Queen's Club that includes the reigning Wimbledon champion, Barbora Krejčíková, the Olympic gold medallist Qinwen Zheng and the Australian Open winner Madison Keys. However, her preparations were given a lift when her former coach Nick Cavaday, who left her camp for health reasons in January, returned to help her practise with her main coach Mark Petchey still at the French Open. 'I'm happy to see Nick healthy, first of all,' Raducanu said. 'It's been a long time since we were last on court together in Australia, and Mark is in Paris commentating. Nick was around, and it is nice to have a few days with him.' The new WTA 500 tournament at Queen's Club features an enhanced prize money of $1.4m (£1m), but the purse remains about half that of the men's ATP 500 event, which begins next week. Raducanu did not want to be drawn on whether there should be more equal prize money between the men's and women's tour. 'There is obviously a big difference, and I'm sure a lot of players will say their piece on it, but prefer not to kind of get involved,' she said. 'Whatever the situation is, I'll kind of roll with it, but I'm never really going to take a stand, either way.' She was equally non-committal when asked about the LTA's commitment to equal prize money at Queen's by 2029. 'I don't really get involved or stay in the loop with all the boards and all the decisions and stuff,' she said. 'I just get on with it. But I don't feel like I really am playing for money. Of course, I need to sustain my team, which is extremely expensive. And with my kind of profile, coaches and team members see that. So it is a very expensive sport, but it's not my motivation when I play.' skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion As a child, Raducanu used to come to Queen's Club with her father, although she admitted that she was more interested in looking for brownies than watching the tennis. But now she admits she is delighted that women are finally back playing for the first time since 1973. 'To be playing here is amazing. It's the first time there's been a women's event for a very long time,' she said. 'It's going to be great to be playing on home turf with a good crowd.' Raducanu will also be making only her second appearance in a WTA doubles tournament after agreeing to partner with her fellow Briton Katie Boulter, with whom she has played in Billie Jean King matches. 'It'll be extremely special,' Boulter said. 'Obviously, she's a great player, and I'm looking forward to having the first of many more.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
British tennis commits to equal prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne by 2029 - but financial disparity remains with men set to rake in DOUBLE the women's players despite significant increase
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have announced that the WTA events at Queen's and Eastbourne will receive equal prize money no later than 2029, with both tournaments receiving an immediate financial uptick on the eve of the British grass-court season. The newly minted WTA 500 event at The Queen's Club is set to rise to a record £1.04million ($1.415m), while Eastbourne - which was downgraded to a 250 event as a consequence to re-staging the women's event in west London - will see prize money climb to £286,471 ($389,000). Both events will now offer the highest prize pot for equivalent event and draw sizes on the international tour, in a move that aims to establish the organisation as a world-leader in the growth and development of women's tennis. But parity remains some way off, with men's players at Queen's set to rake in £2.12m (€2.5m) in two weeks' time - almost double the prize money afforded to women's players despite the sizeable increase. At Eastbourne, the total purse is £637,00, with both prize pots meeting the ATP tour-level standard for a 250. In stark contrast, the WTA minimum is £207,149. The LTA were keen to stress that they aim to beat the timeline rather than merely meet it, but underscored that the organisation makes a net £4m loss on the tournaments hosted during the British grass swing, with the men's Championship at Queen's the sole profitable event. The LTA have announced their commitment to equal prize money for their men and women's tournaments but this year's WTA prize pot remains some way off the ATP's Interest in the new tournament in Barons Court, which is set to feature boldfaced names like Emma Raducanu, has been sizable, with over 50,000 tickets sold and the event at 80 per cent capacity with days to go before the first round on Monday. With Eastbourne all but level with its ticket sales last year despite the downgrade of the tournament's status, the LTA are confident in the event's future profitability in terms of drawing new fans to the sport. A more diverse fanbase is also expected at Queen's, with 55 per cent of tickets sold to women, compared to 49 per cent for the men's tournament a week later. The organisation's announcement has been lauded by WTA chief executive Portia Archer, who claimed that the move 'sends a powerful message that the women's game is valued'. The women's tour are chasing their own bid for financial parity, seeking full equality with the ATP by 2033, with combined WTA-ATP events targeting the bid to offer equal prize money in 2027. Fellow WTA 500 event the Charleston Open committed to equal prize money with their ATP event in 2026 in April of this year.
Asharq Al-Awsat
03-06-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Kyrgios Withdraws from Wimbledon Due to Injury Setback
Nick Kyrgios will miss Wimbledon and the entire grasscourt season due to a minor setback in his recovery from injury, the Australian said on Tuesday. The 30-year-old has struggled with a litany of foot, knee and wrist injuries since his runner-up finish at Wimbledon in 2022 and has played only four singles matches this year. He recorded his first singles win since 2022 at the Miami Open in March but pulled out of the French Open with a knee issue. "I've hit a small setback in my recovery and unfortunately won't make it back for grass season this year," Kyrgios posted on social media. "I know how much you've all been looking forward to seeing me out there, and I'm genuinely sorry to disappoint. This is just a bump in the road though, and I'm already working hard to get back stronger than ever." Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year, starts on June 30.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Emma Raducanu to continue coaching partnership with Mark Petchey for grass-court season
Emma Raducanu will continue working with coach Mark Petchey throughout the grass-court season, including Wimbledon, The Telegraph has reported. Petchey, a former British No. 1, has been juggling his commentary commitments alongside working with Raducanu but will reportedly focus exclusively on coaching her during the grass season. That will include the entire build-up to and duration of Wimbledon. Raducanu is slated to compete at Queen's, a major tune-up event, with a women's tournament hosted for the first time in more than 50 years. Raducanu has previously stressed the importance of working with people who she trusts, with Petchey - an old ally who she worked with prior to her US Open triumph in 2021 - and family friend Jane O'Donoghue in her corner in recent months. Her team also includes fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who has been instrumental in helping her adjust to the physicality of competing on the tour week in and week out. The British No. 2 has not had a permanent coach since the departure of Nick Cavaday after her Australian Open exit this January. Cavaday took a step back to look after his health. Raducanu has been working with Petchey since the eve of Miami, where she made the quarter-finals at a WTA 1000 event for the first time, and has enjoyed an uptick in performances and results since then. The 22-year-old has continued to build form and confidence on clay, a surface she admitted she is not particularly comfortable with, and had a promising run at the Italian Open - including reaching the last 16 for the first time - ended by the in-form fourth seed Coco Gauff. 'I want to use this period of the clay season to try and work on certain things in my game that I think are going to help me bridge the gap to the next level,' she said ahead of the tournament in Rome. Following her Italian Open exit, Raducanu has accepted a wildcard to one final clay tournament in Strasbourg before the culmination of the clay swing at the French Open, which begins on 25 May. Strasbourg begins next Monday.
