"Chances of me playing were very very low" - Raducanu happy about Australian Open despite loss
WTAWednesday, 18 January 2023 at 16:00
Updated at Wednesday, 22 January 2025 at 21:37
Although Emma Raducanu lost already in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, she was happy about her showing after the loss.
The British player didn't know whether she would compete at this year's Australian Open. The reason was an ankle injury that she picked up while competing at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
At the WTA 250 tournament, Raducanu had to retire from her second-round match against Viktoria Kuzmova, despite winning the first set 6-0.
After that, it wasn't clear whether the 2021 US Open winner would make it to the Australian Open, but she did. In the first round, she bested Tamara Korpatsch 6-3, 6-2, but she was stopped already in the second round.
Coco Gauff beat the British player 6-3, 7-6(4), but Raducanu didn't want to focus on the negatives after the match. She focused on the positives, which was mostly the fact that she competed in Melbourne.
"I would say all the chips were against us and the chances of me playing this tournament were very, very low. I think 13 days ago, if you would have told us, 'Hey, you're going to be in the draw and win a round', it would have been a massive effort for sure. Saying that, I still think I didn't necessarily play my best today. I felt like I could have done better."
"I just have to review the body right now. I've had some niggles in the past few months, and I just need to get that sorted, train, and then we'll see after that. I'm really buying into and trusting the work that I'm doing with [new coach] Sebastian (Sachs) and the rest of the team."
"So I'm feeling good and confident that, in six months' time, I know it's not going to be the finished product, but hopefully I would have made strides."
Raducanu also spoke about Gauff, who has yet to lose a match since the start of the 2023 season. She obviously had only words of praise for the teenager.
"I think it was always going to be a tough match and a tough challenge to play against Coco. She's a great opponent, great athlete. But it was a good experience to be out there on Rod Laver."
"I think in the beginning it took some adjusting to. But it's such a nice court, and I'm happy to have had a match on that now so, next time, if I come back and play again on that court, I'll be more familiar."
"I'd really like to play her again. I think that maybe with more than five hours under my belt of practice. She's a great opponent, and I think that we're going to be playing each other many times in the future as we're both young and coming, we're going to be the next generation."
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