Emma Raducanu Confident About Fitness Ahead Of Australian Open Start
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Emma Raducanu spoke optimistically about her injury before the 2025 Australian Open. The Briton said she is ready to compete at the season's opening Grand Slam.
Raducanu was initially set to start her 2025 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland. She made her comeback to tennis from a lengthy injury at last year's iteration of the tournament in Auckland, reaching the second round.
Unfortunately, Raducanu's plan to begin 2025 at the same event ended when she withdrew from the ASB Classic with a back spasm she sustained after bending down to tie her shoelace during a practice session.
That is one of several injuries Raducanu has sustained during the last few years. Her return to tennis at the 2024 ASB Classic came after she had been out for nine months with severe wrist and ankle injuries.
Raducanu's desperation to return to action did her no favors. The 2021 US Open champion admitted she made the injury worse by attempting to return too quickly and not giving herself enough time to recover from the problem.
Other physical problems included spraining ligaments in her foot last season and various niggles throughout 2022, her first full year on the WTA Tour. Andy Murray suggested more than two years ago that Raducanu should hire a full-time fitness coach.
The 22-year-old resisted the calls to do that before eventually relenting at the end of the 2024 season and appointing Yutaka Nakamura, Naomi Osaka's and Maria Sharapova's former fitness coach.
Raducanu hopes that Nakamura can help her become one of the best athletes in tennis. She moves around the court very well, but not at the level of Coco Gauff or Iga Swiatek, who won a superb match in the opening round of the Australian Open.
In a press conference before the Australian Open, Raducanu gave an update about her injury, revealing she feels ready and is confident about being a dangerous opponent during her opening match against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
"I feel good. I feel healthy and feel I've been training well. I'm prepared and ready to go. I think I can be a dangerous opponent for anyone really. You have to kind of have that belief as a player. It's not really worth going on court if you don't believe you can win."
Some criticized Raducanu for not playing any matches before last year's US Open. However, the former Grand Slam winner feels her preparation for the Australian Open is different because she has been training hard with Nakamura.
"I think the difference between this and the US Open is I hadn't actually trained at all really before the US Open. But I've been putting in really good work. The way [Yutaka] has structured our practices and our days has helped me to get into that position where I feel pretty ready."
The young star has not played a match since adding Nakamura to her team. It will be very interesting to observe whether there are any significant differences in her level throughout the season.
