Emma Raducanu reveals stance on Eastbourne tournament downgrade - 'It's sad'

The Lawn Tennis Association will bring women’s tennis back to the Queen’s Club in Barons Court, west London, for the first time since 1973 with a new high-profile event at the beginning of the grass-court season – downgrading Eastbourne’s Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournament to only feature three top-30 players.

The new grass court season for 2025 will see Eastbourne downgraded to WTA 250 status which means fewer ranking points will be awarded, and prize money could potentially fall, as well as meaning that only three top-30 players could play.

Raducanu, 21 – who shot to stardom after winning the US Open in 2021 – is currently playing at Eastbourne, in the Rothesay International, for the first time in her career.

Asked for her thoughts on the changes – which were announced on the year the tournament celebrates its 50th anniversary – Raducanu said: “It's sad that it will be downgraded.

"I think having the big 500 on home-turf is such a great thing. It's an amazing opportunity for the British players, like myself, and the younger players to pick up some points.

"The qualifying points in 500 is massive. It's a shame it's going to be downgraded.

“From the tournament side of things, I don't think anything will change with the spectators. It will always have a great turn-out.

"For Queens, I'm very excited. You feel it's your home crowd. It's probably how Katy [Boulter] feels in Nottingham.

“The venue is so nice. I've been to the men's tournament when I was younger. To have a woman's tournament there, I'm happy about.”

Raducanu said she is enjoying her time in the East Sussex town so far this week.

"For me, I love being here,” she said.

"The weather, especially, is stunning. When it's like this, the seaside is even nicer.

"You've got live music at night on the beach. It's a nice happy, relaxed place to be. It's different away from the buzz of London which is also nice.

"I love London, it's where I grew up. It's my favourite place in the world but nice to escape from time to time. Everyone who lives in London would agree it's nice to get out of the city sometimes."

Raducanu was speaking after sealing her first win on Eastbourne soil. She overcame fellow US Open champion Sloan Stephens in two sets (6-4 6-0) on Tuesday (June 25) to set up a round-of-16 tie against another American, Jessica Pegula.

"It was tricky for me because I've never played here before,” Raducanu said.

"I had to adapt to the court, to the visuals, the bounces and the surface. It was difficult in the first set, especially against Sloan who seems more experienced and has played this tournament before.

“It was tough to hit through the ball because of the conditions. The ball was getting very slow. They don't really bounce.

“It's about adapting and figuring things out regularly. I played some really good stuff in the second [set].”