"Mentally, I wasn’t really present," admits Raducanu after her defeat in Eastbourne

Despite her first-round victory, Emma Raducanu couldn’t keep the momentum going in Eastbourne. After her win against Ann Li (6-7, 6-3, 6-1), where the Brit struggled to hide her emotions, she fell after a tough battle against Maya Joint (4-6, 6-1, 7-6) and won’t be competing in the quarterfinals.

Having just reached that stage at Queen’s, the 2021 US Open champion couldn’t confirm this strong performance and will now aim to match last year’s result at Wimbledon, where she made it to the fourth round. In any case, the 22-year-old, currently ranked 38th in the world, won’t be heading into the London Grand Slam in the best state of mind.

"Mentally, I wasn’t really there. But I’ll be able to rest before next week. I’m going through a tough period and need to do my best to focus on next week.

In reality, the return to competition is just around the corner. Wimbledon starts in just four days. I think I’ll start with a day off tomorrow (Thursday) and, hopefully, I can get back on court Friday," Raducanu told *L’Équipe* in recent hours.