Emma Raducanu to focus on fitness after Australian Open exit ahead of busy 2023 | Tennis News
Emma Raducanu suffered a disappointing defeat against Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open but the British No 1 will take plenty of positives into the rest of the year.
Off the back of an injury-riddled 2022, Raducanu has spent the off season working on her fitness and conditioning her body to the stresses of the WTA Tour.
But an injury scare in Adelaide just before the first Grand Slam of the year was a bit of a setback.
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Raducanu suffered an ankle injury in the ASB Classic tournament on the eve of the Australian Open
She was fit for the Australian Open but was handed a tough second-round task against the seventh seed, Coco Gauff. Raducanu held her own in the match despite losing in straight sets, 6-3 7-6.
After her early exit, Raducanu, who beat Tamara Korpatsch 6-3 6-2 in the first round, said she was happy she had recovered in time to take part in Melbourne.
“I would say all the chips were against us and the chances of me playing this tournament were very, very low,” she said.
“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. I felt like I could have done better.”
With four months until the French Open, Raducanu has hinted she will take a short break from tournament tennis to focus on her getting her fitness to the best possible condition ahead of the second Grand Slam event of the year.
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Coco Gauff beat Raducanu in straight sets in the second round of the Australian Open
“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,” she said.
When will Raducanu be back in competitive action?
It is likely Raducanu will not be back on the court competing until next month at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
With the BNP Paribas Open in March and the Madrid Open in April, the Briton has plenty of…
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