Emma Raducanu to play Birmingham WTA 250 event, the Rothesay Classic, ahead of Wimbledon in June
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Published 09/05/2022 at 14:55 GMT
Emma Raducanu will return to the grass courts of the UK next month when playing the WTA 250 event, the Rothesay Classic, in Birmingham. The 19-year-old US Open champion was handed a wild card when featuring at the Nottingham Open last year. Now she is the world No. 12 and is set continue her first full season on the WTA Tour when playing at the French Open.
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Emma Raducanu will play the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham this June as she gears up for her second appearance at Wimbledon.
The British No. 1 will likely be the star attraction for the WTA 250 event, which is staged at the Edgbaston Priory Club and starts on June 11.
The 19-year-old US Open champion reached the last 16 at Wimbledon last year, while she was also handed a wild card at the Nottingham Open in 2021, which marked her WTA debut.
“I can’t wait to play in Britain again and I’m delighted to be competing at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham in the 40th year of this terrific showcase for women’s tennis," said Raducanu.
"It will be great to get back on to the grass at home, where the backing of the British fans was so fantastic.”
Tournament director Patrick Hughesman added: “As the current US Open champion, world No. 12 and British No. 1, having Emma coming to the Rothesay Classic is fantastic news.
"She is one of the most exciting young players in the women’s game right now and she is obviously going to create quite a stir for the home crowd as she steps out onto the pristine grass of our Ann Jones Centre Court.
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"This is a great opportunity for anyone who loves watching world-class sport up close to experience the thrill of these top athletes like Emma competing in Birmingham.”
The Rothesay Classic will be celebrating its 40th anniversary, with Billie Jean King the first winner back in 1982.
Martina Navratilova, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Ashleigh Barty are among the other past champions, while Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur won last year.
Raducanu is currently in Rome and faces a stern test in her opening match on Tuesday, taking on the unseeded Bianca Andreescu, a fellow US Open champion who returned to action in April after a six-month break.
Ahead of the match, Raducanu says she is managing a back issue.
“I think it’s just coming from a lot of intensity and overload,” she said. “My back, I’m managing it. Like it’s fine. But it’s just trying to adapt again to the long matches, to the intensity.
"I think that all of the small sort of niggles I’m getting, they’re all related and connected to each other, when something is overcompensating perhaps. Yeah, we’ll see.”
The French Open starts later this month on May 22, with Raducanu making her debut at Roland-Garros as she continues her first full season on the WTA Tour.
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Emma Raducanu made her WTA debut at Nottingham last year
Image credit: Getty Images
Raducanu split with coach Torben Beltz last month, and this week said she is enjoying her independence after rising to superstardom following her US Open triumph.
“I'd describe myself as a loner," she said. “For the past year, I've had a lot of people around me a lot and very often. To be on my own is interesting because I'm kind of finding out a lot about myself, understanding what I need and what I don't need.
“I definitely feel like I have been progressing with each week, improving, getting a better understanding of how to play points, when to stay in the point or when to stay aggressive.”
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