The US Open officially begins next week and on the women's side, all eyes are on Brit Emma Raducanu, who is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows after going 10-0 last year in the tournament.

Nevertheless, she's not feeling any pressure to repeat this time around. Raducanu is just looking to go out there and play quality tennis. Via The Guardian:

“I think you guys are thinking about pressure and ranking more than me. But, I think defending a title is just something that the press makes up. I'm just taking it one match at a time, every single player is very capable in this draw and I'm just focusing on what I'm doing and my trajectory, I'm just going to do things my way.

Emma Raducanu is clearly feeling no nerves. It hasn't been the greatest year for her, going just 13-15 and she will face a very tough opponent in the US Open first round in Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, who is more than capable. She's already beaten Iga Swiatek, Garbine Muguruza, and Simone Halep in 2022. This will not be an easy match for Raducanu.

However, she isn't lacking confidence right now, beating Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati. Raducanu was dealing with some blister problems in practice on Friday and hopefully, she can get that figure out before Tuesday's meeting with Cornet.

“I had a few small things, got a couple blisters, a bit of a niggle here and there,” said Emma Raducanu. “It’s just one of those weird days where you feel a bit like nothing … I don’t know. You just feel a bit out of it. Can’t really explain myself, to be honest. I’m sure everyone in this room has probably had a day like that. Yeah, it is what it is.”