Emma Raducanu transcript as she gives 58-word press conference ahead of Madrid Open – not a ‘big deal’, says Chris Evert

Sixteen questions. Fifty-eight words.

That was the sum of Emma Raducanu’s pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Madrid Open.

The British No. 1 plays in the first round against world No. 73 Viktoriya Tomova on Wednesday afternoon, with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek awaiting the winner in the second round.

The 2021 US Open champion was seemingly not in the mood for talking ahead of playing in Madrid, as she dead-batted questions in a press conference about her wrist injury, her recent results, and the form of her friend Jodie Burrage.

The press conference lasted just a few minutes as Raducanu gave short answers to every question.

Hi Emma, how’s it going?

Good, how are you?

Fine, thanks. How is your physical state this week?

It’s OK.

Wrists?

It’s OK.

Have you been doing anything different with them?

No.

When you say OK, Emma, do you mean, like, everything is hunky-dory or…?

We’re managing it.

You’re managing it, so it’s kind of still there?

Yeah, OK.

But bubbling under…Obviously we weren’t in Stuttgart, watched some of the match on TV, but was it a factor in that? Or was Jelena Ostapenko – she does have days when she blows hit – it did look one of those days when she has the bit between her teeth.

She played very well.

Was that the determining factor of the match?

I think she played a great match.

So, where are you at the moment? Do you feel…We were in Miami it was close, if you had won those break points in the first game of the third set I think you might have won, so that was presumably quite encouraging after Indian Wells?

Yeah it was a good trip in America, tough match. But yeah, moving on.

What do you think about your draw here?

It is what it is.

I guess it’s possible you could play Jodie Burrage if she won today. She’s one of your friends isn’t she?

Yeah.

So is it nice to see her on the up?

Yeah of course.

Do you want to say anything about Jodie, as we are trying to manage an interview here?

Yeah, I like her.

You like Jodie?

Yeah, good player.

Anything about her climb up the rankings?

It’s great.

You’re not making this very easy. Is this deliberate, that you don’t want to make this too easy for us?

No.

Former world No. 1 Chris Evert said Raducanu’s short responses were not a “big deal”.

“In her defence, every one of us has had a day, or a press conference like this… don’t make it such a big deal,” Evert wrote on Twitter.

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