Emma Raducanu’s intense training apparently cost her her toenails.
The 19-year-old tennis sensation, who competed Friday in her first professional clay-court tournament, recently opened up about the aftermath of the grueling regimen.
“It’s okay — but I’ve no toenails now!” Raducanu responded when asked how she was feeling after hurting her hip, according to The Sun.
Raducanu plays Friday against Tereza Martincova Getty Images“It’s my foot and my shoes, they’ve been sliding around a lot. I had a small niggle in Miami but now I have no physical thing.”
Raducanu, who will be competing with Great Britain against the Czech Republic in her first Billie Jean King Cup, was teased by her teammates about the state of her feet.
“We’ve all been left a little scarred by the sight of Emma’s toes this week,” Anne Keothavong, the British team captain, said of the world No. 12.
Raducanu’s teammates have teased her this week about the state of her feet Getty ImagesPracticing for the clay-court competition has been a challenge for Raducanu, last year’s U.S. Open champ. In fact, she hasn’t competed on clay since losing in the second round of the French Open junior qualifiers four years ago.
On Friday, however, Raducanu defeated Tereza Martincova in Prague to tie Great Britain and the Czech Republic, 1-1.
The teen phenom also discussed how she expects playing on clay to be a learning curve but has faith that it may become the surface that she could dominate on.
Great Britain must win the best of five matches to advance to the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November. Getty Images“This is going to be my first professional match on clay so I’m definitely learning,” she said. “I feel this could be one of my strongest surfaces going forward. But of course, it’s early days right now.”
“I did spend a few weeks on clay in the summer but I do like sliding, and once I time it right and spend more time on it then I’m sure this could be a really good surface for me,” Raducanu added. “So, after spending more time on this surface, I’m sure I’ll time it better. I feel I can really use it and play aggressively whilst also being able to move.”
To qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November, Raducanu and the Great Britain team must win three out of the five matches against the Czech Republic.
