PARIS – Emma Laducane faces needle phobia to resolve her back problems ahead of the French Open Round 1 match against King Xinyu on Monday.
Laducanu suffered a convulsion last week in his second defeat against Daniel Collins at the Strasbourg Open. She is featured in her second main draw after reaching the second round of the French Open in 2022.
However, her preparations are affected by back problems. She had problems with her in the past, and set out to open in Australia and sidelined her at the beginning of the year. She admits that her back is not completely healed, but she has tried various treatments that she has seen her do acupuncture.
“(My back) doesn’t feel 100%,” Radkanu said. “I was having a cramp in Strasbourg and I was trying to do my best to manage it as much as I could have treated. Last night I was in the practice court this morning. Yes, I felt it was OK, but obviously I’m playing a match.
“I think the previous Australian thing has gotten worse. I feel like this before I get completely locked up. So I think the treatment is a lot in physics and a lot in heat.
“At the beginning of the year, I was so scared of the needle. It was my biggest phobia. That was the only way I could play Australia. Since then, I’ve been dipping my toes because it’s really useful, even if it’s really scary.
Radkanu said there is a correlation between playing with clay and her back burning.
“When I played with clay in 2024 and 2022, I had back issues in both cases,” she said. “I think when you use the ball, you get to a troublesome position because the bounce is pretty high and the bounce isn’t necessarily even.
“So I think the trends I’ve played with Clay in the last two seasons was back issues, but I think we need to manage this time again. I think there’s a tendency to pick things up, especially with Clay in the way the back is made up.”
Raducanu said she understood her limitations better when it came to injuries. Previously, she had challenged her own disadvantages through the barriers of pain, but some advisers had told her to strengthen. She has since learned to trust her instincts when it comes to injuries.
“I think as a player we’re always pushing because there’s no real break in the season. So if you miss a few weeks, you just don’t have enough time on the calendar, so you’re just taking that time out of yourself,” says Raducanu. “So, it hurts us, but sometimes we push through and do more damage. As we know from personal experience with the wrist, we struggled for seven months before undergoing surgery (May 2023).
“I was saying I wasn’t tough enough, like I had to work through it, so I just kept pushing. It’s normal, I feel tired because I’m very trained. When I knew there was actually pain, I felt more than just pain.
“So I wanted to listen to myself sooner. I’d probably saved myself like eight or 12 months of hard work, but I think I can learn from it.
Radukanu will feature on Monday among seven British players in the opening round. All six British hopefuls who entered the main draw last year suffered a loss in the first round. However, there is optimism that could improve the UK’s form this year.
“We all think it’s a challenge and not a scary thing. “Like Katie (Vaulter) won the tournament last week. Jack (Draper) really did well. I got some wins.
“It’s good to get a victory on this surface board, and when we all do that, we inspire each other and give us the confidence that others can do the same.