Emma Raducanu says she felt very "lethargic" in QF loss to Marta Kostyuk, admits she's still adapting to the "fast-paced" life of WTA tour

Emma Raducanu's campaign at the 2021 Transylvania Open came to an end in the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-1 loss to fellow teenager Marta Kostyuk. The Brit struck a whopping 41 unforced errors in the 57-minute contest and also produced an uncharacteristically dismal serving display

Speaking after her match, Raducanu revealed that she tried her best but felt very "lethargic".

"It’s tough, I knew from today when I tried to practice that I was very limited on what I could do," Raducanu revealed. "I did try my best but I was very, very lethargic today. I wanted to go out there and try my best and see how it was going to go. I couldn’t get it going today."

Emma Raducanu with her 2021 US Open trophy

The 18-year-old, who experienced a meteoric rise in popularity following her US Open triumph, admitted to having learned a lot in the past six months. She said she was still settling into the "fast-paced" life of the WTA tour and would require time to adjust.

"It’s just the last 6 months, been a lot of learning," the teenager said. "I’ve experienced a lot in the last six months with not so many gaps, just adapting to the fast-paced life of the tour. I’m still very new to it and it will still just take me some time to adjust."

Raducanu, whose father is Romanian, went on to express her appreciation for the Cluj-Napoca crowd that welcomed her with open arms. The Brit said she was disappointed at having her visit cut short, but declared that tournaments in Romania will become a "top priority" in her schedule in the future.

"I loved my time here in Romania; the hospitality has been incredible, everyone has been so welcoming," the World No. 23 said. "It’s been nice to feel like they have been taking me in. I am disappointed that I couldn’t stay here longer."

"100% I will be coming back to tournaments (in Romania). I will make sure that those tournaments will take big priority in my calendar because they do mean a lot to me," she added.

"It's going to be my first one and it'll be very difficult four weeks physically"- Emma Raducanu on off-season preparations

Emma Raducanu at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open

Emma Raducanu is currently slated to compete in Linz, which will be her final tournament of the year. She will then shift her focus to preparations for the 2022 season. Raducanu revealed that she was looking forward to a full off-season and expects four weeks of training to be "tough."

"I am going to do a full off season," Raducanu said. "After Linz I will probably have a week off, to reset, be mentally fresh and physically fresh for the tough pre-season. It’s going to be my first one and, from what I’ve heard, it’ll be very difficult four weeks physically. I want to prepare for that into next year."