Emma Raducanu, the 28th seed in the tournament, lost to Anastasia Potapova with a score of 7:6 (3), 6:2, after leading 5:3 in the first set. According to the tennis player, the match was played under difficult weather conditions, and her physical condition did not allow her to perform at her best throughout the match.
“I don’t want to be too hard on myself, as I understand the conditions I prepared for this tournament. I leave with my head held high. At the beginning of the season, I doubted whether I would be able to come to Australia, so just participating is already a success for me,” Raducanu shared.
During the match, the 23-year-old athlete experienced discomfort and was unable to capitalize on every point. Her preparation for the tournament was disrupted due to a foot injury, and full training only began a few days before the start of the season.
Raducanu also noted that the quality of her serve and forehand play in Australia was below her usual level due to insufficient preparation. Nevertheless, despite the early exit, she emphasized the importance of the matches played for her physical conditioning.
Now the former US Open champion plans to focus on recovery and returning to the aggressive playing style on the baseline that allowed her to quickly make a name for herself on the world stage.
