Emma Raducanu has spoken up on the foot injury that led to her withdrawal from Great Britain’s opening Round Robin phase tie at the 2026 United Cup against Naomi Osaka. The former World No. 10 and 2021 US Open champion returned to action for Great Britain’s second tie against Greece, but suffered a three-set loss to Maria Sakkari. The injury sparked concerns regarding Raducanu’s prospects of featuring at the upcoming Australian Open, the year’s first tennis Major.
On Monday, January 5, Sakkari dealt a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 defeat to Raducanu. The result, coupled with Billy Harris’ loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas, meant that Great Britain’s journey at the 2026 United Cup ended with an early elimination. Following the development, the WTA No. 29 interacted with reporters at a press conference.
Here, the 23-year-old laid bare how she wasn’t able to practice too much in the buildup to her match against Sakkari, saying:
“In my match, considering the circumstances, doubt whether I was going to play or not today, I’m pretty happy with how I was able to kind of play a match of three sets. Considering I played five, six games in practice, it is a big effort for me.”
Later, Raducanu claimed she felt like an ‘alien’ during the first set against Sakkari, with the United Cup clash being her first competitive outing since October last year. The Brit added:
“I think after my last match in Ningbo, it’s been a good three months. Initially, you feel a little bit alien on the court, in the first set, just playing points again. Yeah, I just need to try and recover as best as I can, just keep working.”
Emma Raducanu to make Hobart debut ahead of Australian Open 2026
A much clearer picture regarding Raducanu’s match fitness and overall sharpness on the court is likely to emerge at the upcoming Hobart International, a WTA 250 hardcourt tournament scheduled just before the start of main draw action at the Australian Open.
Raducanu is set to make her debut at the tournament this year, and as things stand, the Brit will be seeded No. 2 in Hobart. Former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova is also in the Hobart field, which includes Americans McCartney Kessler, Iva Jovic and Ann Li as well.
The 2025 Australian Open marked Emma Raducanu’s deepest run at the Melbourne Major so far in her career. She reached the third round on the back of two straight-set victories in the first two rounds. However, her stay in Melbourne was cut brutally short by former No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
