Emma Raducanu given boost by Johanna Konta after more injury woes in Indian Wells loss

After the Miami Open, the world No 13 will compete on the clay courts for the first time in her professional career, having previously contended junior and ITF events on the surface, and Konta was quick to back her successor as British No 1 in unfamiliar territory. “I don’t really think Emma necessarily deals with pressure like how we would be expecting her to deal with it, I think she’s incredibly mature with how she’s dealing with everything around her,” she said.

“So, I do not believe it will faze her too much changing onto the clay court, she’s definitely played on clay courts I would assume before as a junior, and obviously again it’ll just be about spending time on that surface at the highest level of the game. It’s an exciting time for her to discover how her game feels on the surface against these players so I think more than anything it’s again just time and adding it all into the bank of experience.”

The first big tournament in the WTA clay-court calendar kicks off on April 4 in Charleston, while the first European event begins in Stuttgart on April 18. Raducanu will be able to pick up points to add to her ranking over the clay season before the grass swing begins, where she made her tour debut in Nottingham last year before her Wimbledon breakout, reaching the second week as a 338th-ranked wildcard.