Emma Raducanu Says No To Practice, Wants Days Off After Crushing Australian Open Defeat vs Unseeded Player
Emma Raducanu has put a pause to her training routine following her surprising second-round defeat at the Australian Open. She revealed in her press conference that she would be taking days off rather than returning straight to practice.
After a powerful start at the Australian Open in the first round against Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Raducanu fell against the unseeded player, Anastasia Potapova. The latter prevailed over the Brit No. 1 7-6(3), 6-2, advancing to the third round. This defeat marked one of the 2021 US Open champion’s most disappointing early exits at a Grand Slam in recent years.
In her post-match press conference, she opened up about her way of recovering from the loss. Rather than rushing back into practice, the Brit’s comments suggested a more measured approach to her recovery and preparation. Revealing what she would do in her days off, she said: (3:17 onwards)
“I don’t think I’m going to get straight back on the practice court. I think I’m gonna take a few days, get back, get back home, and try and just re-evaluate my game a bit. Right now, I’m signed up to play in Cluj, so hopefully I make it there, and it would be good to return to my dad’s home country. And I haven’t been back in a few years, so that would be a nice opportunity if I get it,” said Emma Raducanu.
Emma Raducanu Reflects On Her Second-round Exit Against Anastasia Potapova At The Australian Open
Emma Raducanu offered a candid and reflective assessment of her performance following a straight-sets defeat to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova in the second round. In the aforementioned press conference, she said that it was a tricky situation on the court and spoke about the wind conditions too.
She further spoke about how her opponent handled the situation, and calling it a ‘difficult’ match, she said: (0:07 onwards)
“Yeah, I thought it was a very difficult match with the conditions in the first set. I thought it was tricky trying to get used to how lively it felt out there, and also the wind was pretty strong from one side. So, just not something that I felt, you know, too comfortable with. I didn’t feel like I dealt with it particularly well, and even so, I still had some chances in the first set, but, yeah, nevertheless, just one of those days you don’t feel too good on the court, but credit to her, she found a better solution in the first set and then really played better,” said Emma Raducanu.
Emma Raducanu opened her 2026 season at the United Cup. She pulled out from the first round against Naomi Osaka, citing a foot injury and returned to the court to compete against Maria Sakkari, where she lost in three sets.
