Roger Federer's comments have never rung truer for Emma Raducanu after latest setback

Emma Raducanu would be well served listening to Roger Federer after the tennis star suffered her latest setback at the China Open. The 22-year-old blew three match points in her round of 32 clash against Jessica Pegula, asshe lost a three-set thriller to her American opponent, giving up the third set 6-0.

Her defeat to the billionaire heiress spelled her fourth tiebreak loss in a row and left her ruing a missed opportunity against one of the sport's leading players, with the 31-year-old ranked seventh in the world. Raducanu has not clinched a win over a top-10 player since beating Emma Navarro in March, with her struggles against top opposition evident once more.

Her defeat in China followed her elimination from the Korea Open where she was bested by Barbora Krejíková in the round of 16. Her 2021 US Open triumph remains Raducanu's only WTA Tour title of her career and amid her battles to make deep runs in tournaments, previous words of wisdom from Federer could see her gain renewed hope of reaching the top again.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion once said: "Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday." Raducanu can certainly relate to the Swiss icon's comments given her much-publicised struggles with injury and form since her fairytale night at Flushing Meadows, but she has improved as of late.

Raducanu may still only be 22 but her own experiences of injuries and shouldering the expectations of a nation have helped fellow pro Paula Badosa. The Spanish star has been marred by injuries this season and was forced to retire from the China Open during her match with Karolina Muchova following her return from a three-month layoff.

The 27-year-old announced this week that she will end her season after her brief stay in Beijing. It was before her Citi Open clash against the Brit last year that she thanked her for her presence during a troublesome period. Badosa said: "With her, honestly we spoke a lot. We had chats even off court.

"We went for lunch, for breakfast. We spoke a lot about how tough it is to deal with all these expectations - especially in her case. I had a little bit of the same in my career. Especially when you feel that anything you do, it's going to be crazy on social media. In her case, it's like that."