Raducanu with 'a long way to go' after Swiatek defeat
Emma Raducanu conceded there is "a long way to go" until she is back to full fitness but remained "proud" of her week at Indian Wells despite her fourth-round defeat to Iga Swiatek.
Raducanu had been plagued by tonsillitis and a recurring wrist injury in the build-up to the tournament that forced her to pull out of a doubles exhibition with Cameron Norrie on the eve of the competition.
The 20-year-old was able to compete in the women's draw, however, and claimed victories over Australian Open semi-finalist Magda Linette and world number 13 Beatriz Haddad Maia before losing 6-3 6-1 to world number one Swiatek on Tuesday.
Raducanu started well but a fourth match in six days eventually caught up with the Brit, who lost the second set comprehensively.
Yet Raducanu is satisfied with her performances in her first tournament appearance since January.
"I'm very proud of myself," Raducanu said.
"I think I had a few good wins earlier against some great opponents. I did two good training weeks in London. They paid off to an extent but ultimately two weeks of training isn't going to cut it against the world number one right now.
"Now it's just about consistent work to physically get to where I want to be. I saw a taste of the level where number one is at physically and how she is at the corners, repetitive, relentless. Yeah, I just couldn't take that."
"I'm looking forward to playing her after I've got more time under my belt."
Raducanu will now return to training as she looks to build on her most impressive set of displays since her remarkable US Open victory in 2021, with the Miami Open next on the cards.
She added: "Physically I feel like that's going to be one of my biggest assets. I think that I'm going to be one of the best athletes on the tour, and that's going to be a big part of my game.
"I would say there is a very long way to go, but I'm definitely starting the right work now."
Reigning champion Swiatek will now face Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals.
"I'm always pretty good in defence. I knew that I can't rush it and I can't be not patient, so I just stayed solid and I wanted to choose the right directions," Swiatek said after becoming the sixth player to win 11 or more of her first 12 main draw matches at Indian Wells.
"I always want to finish points as fast as possible if I have a chance, but for sure I know that sometimes it's not going to be possible here."
