Last year, during Great Britain’s faceoff against France in Rouen for the BJK Cup qualifiers, Emma Raducanu admitted that clay isn’t the surface where she feels the most comfortable. She has always preferred playing on the faster surfaces, and it was just her sixth time in her pro career that she was going to step onto the dirt that time. While sharing her experience on this surface in an interview with the LTA, she said that she loves moving and sliding on clay. But at the same time, she also mentioned, “It’s not necessarily the surface that I’m most comfortable on or my most preferred surface, but it’s something that I enjoy the challenge of.” Talking about challenges, well, she has played only six matches on clay last year.

Now, she’s all set to take part in her first match on clay in the 2025 season at the Spanish capital. Can she shine on the dirt, this season? Well, the former British number one, Laura Robson, is quite optimistic about Raducanu’s chances on clay this time!

After her impressive quarterfinal run at the 2025 Miami Open, Raducanu took some time away from tennis to prepare for the clay-court swing. Last year, she lost in the first round to Maria Lourdes Carle (ARG) with a score of 2-6, 2-6. Following that defeat, she didn’t play any more clay court tournaments. Instead, she chose to focus on preparing for the grass-court season.

Looking at her record this season, Raducanu has played in seven tournaments. She has suffered a first-round exit in four of them. With a 7–7 win-loss record in 2025, many fans have been skeptical about her chances on her least favorite surface. However, Laura Robson recently made a very interesting prediction regarding her potential.

Will clay suit Emma Raducanu’s game? “I’m sure Emma would like to do well on clay and grass this year and play a full schedule. Clay is great for developing all areas of the game. Tactically, it’s a great surface to learn how to turn around matches when you are behind in slower conditions. Clay conditions change so much depending on the weather and where you are playing. Madrid is always so different to Rome, and it might be that one set of conditions suits Emma better than the other.”

Raducanu has failed to go past the third round at the Madrid Open, but she has a great chance of climbing up the ladder with some impressive performances in the next few weeks. Since she didn’t play many clay court events last year, she has just 10 points to defend. There are 4,000 ranking points up for grabs across the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open. If Raducanu (ranked 49) wins a couple of matches at each of these tournaments, she could start closing in on a return to the Top 40 in the WTA Rankings. She might even overtake Katie Boulter (ranked 40) to reclaim the title of British number one.

Although Boulter recently claimed that she is not feeling “any pressure at all“, this would be a really big and incredible milestone for Emma Raducanu in her comeback journey. Recently, even Tim Henman said that it will be interesting to see her next move as she gears up for the clay court swing. Henman believes building physical resilience is currently the most important thing for Raducanu.

“For me, it’s building physical resilience, I think is the most important thing. That is what has been lacking because she’s almost had her career back to front, qualifying, winning that Grand Slam without really the physical foundation. When her body was breaking down when she was in competition. I think the big positive this year is that she’s been able to compete more consistently and hopefully the results are going to come,” said Henman. 

Emma Raducanu will play her first-round (R128) match against the Dutch player, Suzan Lamens, on Wednesday (April 23). This comes after her short break following the Miami Open. For some, seeing her take that break after an impressive run in Miami was like a bolt from the blue. Some tennis experts even raised serious questions about her decision-making. Recently, Raducanu came up with a response to all those queries. 

Emma Raducanu reveals why she took a break post-Miami Open

After suffering from frequent injuries and a lack of form, Emma Raducanu made “staying fit” her primary goal for the 2025 season. Although she has already taken part in seven tournaments this season, she had some issues during her previous match against Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. Raducanu complained of feeling dizzy during the match. Later, after her exit from Miami, she made a bold decision. She withdrew her name from both the Billie Jean King Cup and the Rouen Open.

Seeing her sudden withdrawal, American tennis legend Andy Roddick said, “I get so frustrated. I’m such a fan of hers. I like listening to her reasoning on things, but you get to the quarter-finals, you are finally getting momentum, and then you stop. Why put a speed bump in the middle of your season? It just happens over and over.”

Has she really missed the chance of capitalizing on the momentum she gained in Miami, or was it a necessity (especially considering her injury concerns)? Well, in reply to this question in a recent interview with Sky Sports Tennis, Emma Raducanu said, “I’ve realized now that less is more for me sometimes. I work really intensely and really hard and can definitely be partial to overkilling it sometimes.“

She believes that there are times when one just needs to “reset” and get the “bearings” right because the season is very long. So, Raducanu is now mostly taking it day by day. Can this little rest before the clay court campaign do wonders for the Brit, this season?