People have to stop putting pressure on Emma Raducanu, says world No.3

After defying the odds and winning the US Open in spectacular style last season, Emma Raducanu quickly began to dominate the tennis headlines.

Her Grand Slam success catapulted her to British No.1, but Raducanu is struggling to live up to the label this season.

The 19-year-old has faced a few disappointing tournament exits this season, including second round losses in the Australian and French Open.

It's resulted in Raducanu facing criticism for failing to build and progress from her US Open success, but world No.3 Paula Badosa has urged people to stop piling the pressure onto Raducanu.

"I mean her situation is very tough and she already did amazing things in this sport at a very young age," said Badosa.

"I think most of the people are tough on her but in the other side maybe I can understand because press is press. Still, it puts so much pressure on her and she is a teenager still with so much to learn.

"She needs time and I think she needs more experience on tour and she will get it but I think people have to stop putting all this pressure on her and expectations.

"What she did is play very, very well at one grand slam and she won it, so you can see how good she is but you cannot expect her to win every match and tournament because that is impossible. She needs time and she will get it because she has a lot of talent."

Raducanu is currently facing a race to be fit for Wimbledon at the end of the month. She retired from her latest match in the Nottingham Open, but has been tipped to play at the Rothesay International Eastbourne to ensure she had significant match time on grass before she returns to SW19.

Injury problems means Raducanu has played just seven matches on grass this year, so she'll be keen to add more preparation to her schedule before Wimbledon starts on June 27.