"You can't compare journeys" Raducanu on her rise being compared to the rise of Swiatek

Emma Raudcanu will face Iga Swiatek for the first time in her career in Stuttgart later today and speaking ahead of the match she talked about the Polish player.

Swiatek, 20, and Raducanu, 19, both won Slams as their first WTA titles. Swiatek became Poland's first major champion at the 2020 French Open. Last fall, Raducanu made tennis history by becoming the first qualifier to win a major title. They were both teenagers when they made their major breakthroughs. They were both ranked well outside the Top 50 and did not come close to losing a set over their triumphant fortnights.

However Emma Raducanu dismissed comparisons between herself and Swiatek calling the journeys very different:

"Iga had been playing tennis full time for years before. She was on the ITF Tour, she was on the WTA Tour. I hadn't played for 18 months, was sitting for my exams, and didn't really play that many tournaments or trained very much. I was training like three times a week for 10 hours a week last year. So right now it's about building robustness for sure, playing matches week in and week out.

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Raducanu further said:

"You can't really compare the journeys because we've had different pathways. Since she won the Slam she's done extremely well and remained consistent. I'm not sure when that will happen for me but I'm sure I'll get there."

Speaking about the match, Emma said:

"Iga's in great form. She's won all the tournaments recently, she's No.1 in the world and clay is one of her best surfaces. For me it's a complete swing tomorrow. I've got no expectations or pressure. I'm just going to go out there and see what happens."