A gruelling round of preparation for the first clay-court appearance of her budding career left British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu with "no toenails left."
The 2021 U.S. Open champion beat Tereza Martincova 7-5, 7-5 in her first competitive clay match on Friday. That result balanced the scale in Britain's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic after Harriet Dart fell to a 6-1, 6-0 hammering against Marketa Vondrouaova earlier in the day.
Raducanu's win was all the more impressive considering her condition, having endured a difficult start to 2022 following a hip injury and having to cope with severe blisters. The teenager has been placed under immense pressure to perform following last year's historic triumph at Flushing Meadows, where she became the first British woman to clinch a major since Virginia Wade won at Wimbledon 1977.
"I have no toenails. Just my foot, my shoes, they've just been sliding around a lot," the 19-year-old said during the draw ceremony in Prague. "I had a small niggle in Miami, but now I have no physical thing."
Raducanu isn't the only one suffering as a result of her latest ailment, either, as British captain Anne Keothavong joked: "We're all a little scarred by Emma's toes."
Toenails or not, the youngster impressed as she twice came from behind to win some clutch points en route to a memorable clay debut win. She trailed 5-4 in the first set against Martincova before inflicting back-to-back breaks to move ahead.
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Raducanu then battled from 4-1 down in the second to complete a straight-sets victory, at one point defending four breaks of serve to lead for the first time 5-4. The first person to greet her in the stands was team-mate Dart, who embraced her after Britain drew level on one win apiece.
She said her first experience of clay "took some adjusting" before adding she was "proud of how [she] dug in." The Canada-born star will look to succeed where Dart could not on Saturday when she faces Vondrouaova in her second singles showdown.
"This one means so much to me because it is my first match in the Billie Jean King Cup and representing the team in my first match on clay," Raducanu said. "We're still in this battle and it's all to play for tomorrow. The team had my back 100% as we had Harriet's back this morning. It is amazing to be in team event in an individual sport and I'm cherishing the matches this week."
