Emma Raducanu returned to tennis in Australia, and according to fellow Brit and former WTA player Laura Robson, she showed a lot.
It wasn't the majestic comeback many expected, but it wasn't bad by any means. She won her first match back in Auckland against Elena Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, before bowing out to Elina Svitolina 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 1-6, who went to the final of that event.
The Australian Open was another solid experience as she bested Shelby Rogers 6-3 6-3 in the first round but lost to Yafan Wang in the second round 4-6 6-4 4-6. That match was a really complicated one where Raducanu had many chances, but some physical issues hampered her as well.
All things considered, that was a pretty positive outing for the Brit, which former player Laura Robson agrees with. Talking to Sky Sports, the now-analyst predicted Raducanu to have a really good year after seeing how she performed Down Under.
"Emma showed real promise as she beat Shelby Rogers in the first round. I think she's playing much more aggressively again, which is fantastic. She played a really great match in Auckland, then it was great to see her back it up at a Grand Slam."
What mattered most to Robson was seeing Raducanu really fighting in all of those matches. Outside of the Rogers win, none of the matches were easy, and all required a certain level of mental toughness to get through, and that's what most impressed Robson.
"I feel like only good things are coming for Emma and even though she was sick on court, she competed really well. She was mentally very tough and those are the things that matter most."
The Brit is set to play the Middle East in the coming weeks, so we'll see how her level looks after a few more matches.
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