'A little bit of fatigue' - Emma Raducanu provides fitness update amid back injury and delivers heartfelt message to Eastbourne supporters

Raducanu, 22, fought back from a set down to defeat world No.64 Li 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 in two hours and 21 minutes.

Li took the first set in a tie-break but the Briton hit back 6-3 in the second to force a decider. Raducanu blitzed the final set 6-1 and was in tears at the end.

"It really meant a lot to me and I'm proud of how I fought back," said an emotional Raducanu in her on-court interview.

"I'm so happy to come through that. The crowd really helped me.”

Raducanu was asked by the Eastbourne Herald in her post-match press conference how the crowd got her though a tough battle.

She replied: “It was a really difficult match. When I broke to go 5-3 in the second set, there was like a big roar of support and that was a really nice feeling to have and lifted me up in that moment.

"I think, from then on, I really kind of took off and started kind of using the crowd a bit more – getting them more involved and I think that really helped myself as well and gave me an extra level of energy.”

Raducanu said she was ‘very proud’ of the way she turned the match around.

She added: “I'm really really proud of myself how I kind of fought back and then in the third set really found an extra level.

"I also got over the conditions today which were really windy and it's not something I've necessarily been good at in the past so I’m adding to that bank of experience too."

Explaining the tears, she added: “I received some pretty bad news so I would like to keep it personal, if that's okay, but it was difficult and very emotional at the end and probably just a release of different emotions.”

The British number one has been managing a back injury and missed last week's Berlin Open.

The 22-year-old slipped behind the baseline during a close first set on a breezy centre court at Devonshire Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Raducanu told reporters: “It was a physically demanding match. I think it was pretty difficult and in the wind, you're constantly trying to adjust.

"We had some long rallies, you're running a lot. I feel okay – I mean a little bit of fatigue and a bit of stiffness but I need to just see how I feel tomorrow.”

With Wimbledon on the horizon, Raducanu was asked if Eastbourne has a ‘special significance’.

She replied: “Yeah, it’s always a tournament that you want to get a couple wins to just feel good before heading to Wimbledon.

"It's not easy because you play here and you're not feeling amazing about how clean you're hitting the ball because of the conditions – you're hitting the frame more often but it's good to kind of grind it out.

"Today [it was about] coming through and using certain skills that I wouldn't really use normally. It gives me confidence that even when it's nice and sunny, I can maybe block a few returns and that can happen so I think it teaches you a lot and for me it's good for my development.”

Raducanu faces Australian Maya Joint in the round of 16 at the Lexus Eastbourne Open on Wednesday (June 25).