Emma Raducanu said she will sit down to “re-evaluate” her game following a flat second-round exit at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
The Briton won a stunning US Open crown as a teenage qualifier in 2021 but has not clinched a tour title since and has struggled for consistency and fitness. Her latest disappointment came with a sluggish 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 loss to Austria’s Russia-born Anastasia Potapova at Melbourne Park. The 28th seed Raducanu missed the chance to test herself against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
Raducanu admitted that she never felt comfortable on court against the 55th-ranked Potapova, despite being ahead 5-3 in the first set. “Just one of those days you don’t feel too good on the court,” said the 23-year-old, who has been managing a foot injury.
Poor start to the year
Raducanu has had a low-key start to the year, bowing out in the quarter-finals of a warm-up tournament in a surprise straight-set loss to 204th-ranked Taylah Preston. “I don’t want to give myself too much of a hard time because I know my preparation going into this tournament,” she said. “I kind of have to leave with my head held high because of the matches I’ve had here.”
Although searching for positives, Raducanu admitted she will take some time now to take stock. “I don’t think I’m going to get straight back on the practice court,” she said. “I’m going to take a few days, get back home, and try and just re-evaluate my game a bit.”
Pushed by reporters what she meant, and if she was not playing the style of tennis she wants, she said: “Yeah, I would say so. I think I want to be playing a different way. The misalignment with how I’m playing right now and how I want to be playing is something that I just want to work on.”
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his win over Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday. Pic/AP, PTI
Alcaraz, Sabalenka progress
Meanwhile, Spanish superstar Alcaraz came through a tough arm-wrestle 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-2 against hard-hitting German Yannick Hanfmann.
In another game, four-time major winner Sabalenka went past Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan 6-3, 6-1. Third seed Gauff was clinical against Serbia’s Olga Danilovic. Gauff raced home 6-2, 6-2.
Elsewhere, Zverev, who lost last year’s final here to Jannik Sinner, had to wait through a half-hour rain delay and concern over a sore left ankle before beating Alexandre Muller 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
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