Emma Raducanu feels she has a 'long way to go' against top players after Amanda Anisimova thrashing at Indian Wells
Emma Raducanu after third-round drubbing at BNP Paribas Open, going down 6-1 6-1 to Amanda Anismova in 52 minutes: "When I'm playing someone who's at the top like that, I think they have an extra 10 miles an hour on their serve than me. If I'm not feeling it, that gap feels more evident"
Monday 9 March 2026 13:48, UK
Emma Raducanu feels she has "a long way to go" to compete with the world's best players after being overpowered during a 52-minute drubbing by Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells.
The British No 1 and 2021 US Open champion won 21 points in the match compared to her opponent's 53 and hit only two winners as she succumbed 6-1 6-1 in the third round in California.
Raducanu lost serve in the opening game of the contest to two-time Grand Slam runner-up Anisimova and did not chalk up a game in the second set until she was 3-0 down.
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The 23-year-old, who had breezed past Anastasia Zakharova 6-1 6-3 in her first match, is set to return to action at the Miami Open later this month, another WTA 1000 event.
She said after the loss to Anisimova: "When I'm playing someone who's at the top like that, I think they have an extra 10 miles an hour on their serve than me."
Raducanu: My punches weren't landing as much as hers
Raducanu continued: "If I'm not feeling it, that gap feels more evident in terms of weight of shot, in terms of power.
"You just feel a little bit behind and your punches aren't landing as much as theirs are.
"I need to be aggressive when playing those players, but I think there's still a long way to go to be doing that. I need to use my strengths and probably mix it up a bit more."
Raducanu, who has linked up with Mark Petchey on a temporary basis following a split from coach Fransico Roig in January, added to Sky Sports: "It was difficult to come close to putting my stamp on the match.
"That goes with playing Amanda - she is that sort of opponent who likes to put her stamp on it first.
"I have to take some positives. The first match here was better than a lot of matches I have been playing recently. I had a great first match, felt in a really good place with my game.
"But a match like that [against Anisimova] is never easy to take. I couldn't really get into the rally. The ball felt very quick to do anything off of and to try and survive in the point was very difficult."
On Petchey, Raducanu said: "Mark helped me out a lot this week and it was nice to be on court with him again.
"But he will be commentating for Tennis Channel this week, probably until the end, so I don't know how much time I will get with him before Miami."
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