Emma Raducanu fights back tears and opens up on 'pain' after Wimbledon loss

An emotional Emma Raducanu said it was tough to see the positives in her third-round defeat despite pushing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in two tight sets. The three-time Major winner came back from a break down in both sets to win 7-6(6) 6-4 and suggested that Raducanu could return to the world's top 10.

But British No. 1 Raducanu was "feeling the pain" after bowing out of Wimbledon in the third round and admitted it would take a few days to process the loss.

Fighting back tears, the current world No. 40, said: "I think I'm just very self-critical. It's hard to see. Of course, I'm very proud of being competitive on the court. I think I would rather that than it being completely one way.

"But yes, there are positives. Right now it's so soon after the match. I think it's better for me to kind of feel a bit of the pain right now and then process it better that way.

"I think it's difficult to see that right now, having just come off. It's hard. It's hard to take a loss like that. At the same time, I'm playing Aryna, who is No. 1 in the world, a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort today."

Raducanu has been keen to close the gap with the top players after suffering some one-sided losses to the world's best in the past. She did just that on Friday night but struggled to put her performance into perspective immediately after coming off the court.

She explained: "It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top. Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence. At the same time, it's very difficult to take right now.

"It gives me confidence that I'm not as far away as I perhaps thought before the tournament. I think before previously when I was playing those top-5 players, it was pretty convincing, the loss. So I think today to really push Aryna to the top, it does give me confidence.

"But at the same time, like, I feel like grass for me is a great surface. It's a bit of a leveler in that sense. So I think taking it onto a different surface where it's a lot more lively in America is another challenge in itself."

Although Sabalenka herself claimed that Raducanu could get back in the top 10, the Brit felt the world No. 1 was still worlds away on the key points.

"It's nice of her to say that, but I think it was pretty clear the difference. In the big moments, she was able to convert, she was able to hit some incredible shots," she added.

"Yeah, I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more."

While the loss will sting tonight, Raducanu - who enjoyed a KitKat as soon as she got back to the locker room - will look back on the match fondly in years to come.

"I think when I look back at my career, I'm really going to remember that match because, yeah, you kind of play for those moments, to really be competing toe to toe with anyone, but especially with the very best," she smiled.

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