Honestly, watching Emma Raducanu on clay used to be a bit of a stressful experience. You’d see her sliding—or trying to—and it just looked like she was fighting the surface as much as the opponent. But things have changed. As we head into the 2026 season, the narrative around the Emma Raducanu French Open journey is no longer about survival. It's about genuine contention.
The British No. 1 is currently sitting at World No. 29. That’s a massive jump from where she was just eighteen months ago. She spent 2025 proving that she isn't just a "hard court specialist" who got lucky in New York. Last year at Roland Garros, she reached the second round, eventually falling to Iga Swiatek. Most people saw a straight-sets loss and moved on. If you actually watched that match, you saw a player who stayed in rallies that would have ended in three shots two years ago.
She’s tougher now. Physically, the "triple surgery" era of 2023 feels like a lifetime ago. She’s playing with a sturdiness that suggests her body has finally caught up to her ambition.
The Clay Problem No One Talks About
Clay is a monster. It requires a specific kind of "court sense" that most UK-based players simply don't grow up with. Raducanu has been very open about this. After her loss to Marta Kostyuk in Madrid last year, she basically admitted she felt like she was ice skating out there. "I found moving really difficult," she said. She was slipping. She couldn't get out of the corners.
It wasn't a lack of talent. It was a lack of repetitions.
In 2025, she finally got those reps. She went 6-4 on the red dirt, including a massive win over Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg. That wasn't just a win; it was a statement. Kasatkina is a clay-court specialist who lives for long, grinding points. Raducanu out-grinded her.
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Why 2026 Feels Different
The 2026 Emma Raducanu French Open campaign is backed by a level of stability we haven't seen in her camp since 2021. Working with Francisco Roig has brought a "Spanish" sensibility to her movement. You can see it in how she’s starting to use the slide to recover to the center of the court rather than just using it to reach a ball.
Her stats from early 2026 are already showing a player who is harder to break. In Hobart recently, she fought through rain delays and a nasty second-set deficit to beat Camila Osorio. That kind of mental grit is exactly what you need in Paris when the heavy clay makes every point feel like a marathon.
Here is the reality of her clay record so far:
- 2022: Reached the second round (lost to Sasnovich).
- 2023: Missed the tournament due to surgeries.
- 2024: Focused on recovery/lower-tier clay events.
- 2025: Reached the second round (lost to Swiatek).
People get hung up on the fact that she hasn't made a "deep run" in Paris. They forget she’s only actually played the main draw twice.
The Seeded Advantage
Being ranked No. 29 is a game-changer. At the 2026 Australian Open, she’s entering as the 28th seed. If she maintains this momentum through the Middle East swing and into the spring, she will be seeded at the French Open.
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Why does this matter? Because it means she avoids the "Big Three"—Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Rybakina—until at least the third round.
In previous years, Raducanu was at the mercy of the draw. She could play a qualifier or she could play the World No. 1 in the first round. Now, she’s the one the lower-ranked players want to avoid. She’s the "dangerous seed."
The Physical Transformation
You can see it in her legs. The explosiveness is back. In 2025, she managed to play a full schedule without a major breakdown. That’s the real victory. For a player who once had to retire from matches because of "breathing difficulties" or "blisters," playing 50+ matches in a season is a monumental shift.
She’s also got a better "B-game" now. On clay, your A-game (flat winners, aggressive returns) doesn't always work. Sometimes the wind is blowing, the balls are heavy, and you just have to moonball your way to a win. Raducanu used to hate that. Now? She seems to embrace the messiness.
What to Watch For in Paris
When you tune in to the Emma Raducanu French Open matches this May, don't just look at the scoreline. Look at her feet. If she’s sliding into her forehand and maintaining her balance, she’s going to win a lot of matches.
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The red dirt is the ultimate truth-teller in tennis. It exposes fitness gaps and mental frailty. Raducanu has spent the last year closing those gaps. She’s no longer the teenager who shocked the world; she’s a 23-year-old veteran who knows exactly what her body can handle.
She’s also diversifying her schedule. Signing up for the Queen’s Club Championships in June shows she’s thinking ahead, but her focus on the clay swing—likely including Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome—will be the litmus test.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you're following her progress this season, keep an eye on these specific indicators:
- The Serve Percentage: On clay, her first serve percentage needs to stay above 65%. If it drops, she gets punished on the second serve (where she only wins about 44% of points).
- Match Length: Watch how she handles matches that go over two hours. Her win over Wang Xinyu last year was a 2-hour, 44-minute epic. If she's winning those, she's ready for the second week of a Slam.
- The "Roig" Factor: Look for more variety. Drop shots and heavy topspin are the keys to Roland Garros. If she’s just hitting flat, she’s in trouble.
The hype around Emma is finally becoming grounded in reality. The "Raducanu Circus" has quieted down, replaced by a professional, methodical approach to the tour. Paris might not be where she wins her second Slam, but it’s likely where she proves she belongs at the top of the game for good.