Emma Raducanu was unable to set up a blockbuster Australian Open clash against Aryna Sabalenka, as she lost to Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday.
Raducanu, who felt there was no pressure on her heading into the Australian Open, was defeated 7-6, 6-2 by the Austrian player.
Raducanu provided an injury update after the contest and will now look ahead to her next tournament: the Transylvania Open.
After the contest, Raducanu expressed a desire to realign parts of her game and changing the way she plays.
How likely is it that Emma Raducanu wins another Grand Slam, and why?
Emma Raducanu says there is a ‘misalignment’ in her game after Australian Open loss
Raducanu began by reflecting on the progress she has made since the start of the campaign, taking note of her foot injury – an issue which has affected her since the 2025 tennis off-season.
During her post-match press conference, one reporter asked the Brit: “If you told yourself, you know, January 1, that you would be at this point, is it still a positive for you?”
Raducanu replied: “Yeah, I would say so. I would say 1st of Jan when I came out here, I hadn’t moved, I hadn’t even done a 2-cross, 1-line drill. I hadn’t moved from my half of the court.
“So if you would have told me I would have played, you know, four matches/five matches in Australia regardless of how they went, I think from a physical perspective, it would have been, you know, like, pretty surprising.
“I think with each one I did get better, except today, but I think having to learn and having to get the feel through matches is something that’s really difficult and not something that I really want to be doing.
“But, I mean, because it’s a Grand Slam, you feel like you can’t or you don’t want to miss out.So I don’t regret the decision, because I got to come and play a slam here.
“Even if I wasn’t very ready, I think I had a good three weeks Down Under on and off the court. I just, yeah, need to take it for what it is, be pragmatic, and go back and keep working.
“The season is still quite long, so hopefully if I stay healthy, do the right things, then it will start falling into place.
The British superstar then revealed her wish to make key changes to her game.
“I think I want to be playing a different way, and I think the misalignment with how I’m playing right now and how I want to be playing is something that I just want to work on,” Raducanu told reporters in Melbourne.
“I think there are definitely pockets of me playing how I want to play, and it comes out in flashes, which is a positive, and maybe more than certain times in my career in the last few years.
Emma Raducanu won her first Grand Slam too soon – Prove me wrong!
“But it’s not how I want to be, like, consistently every day. So it’s not going to fall into place straight away, but the more I work on how I want to be playing, it will be more of my identity every time I step onto the court.
“So, yeah, I need to work at that, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Raducanu’s next tournament is set to be the Transylvania Open, taking place from February 1 to 7 in Cluj, Romania.
Anastasia Potapova, who is also set to compete at the event, is the defending Transylvania Open champion.
Emma Raducanu discusses her Grand Slam form since winning the US Open
In her post-match press conference, Raducanu was asked to comment on her Grand Slam record since winning the 2021 US Open.
Raducanu, then 18 years old, produced one of the most remarkable stories in tennis history, becoming the only qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title.
However, since lifting the US Open trophy, Raducanu’s form at major tournaments has been patchy at best.
The British star has reached the second week in just one of her 13 Grand Slam appearances since capturing her maiden major title in New York.
Greg Rusedski, the former British number one, recently went as far as to suggest Raducanu’s US Open triumph came too soon in her career.
“Yeah, I mean, I think if you also would have said when I was 18 if I would be winning that night, I don’t think anyone would expect that either,” Raducanu remarked while speaking to reporters in Australia.
“So I think with that achievement, you’re inevitably going to have the same level of kind of low, you know. It was too high to kind of just be going on so early.
“So I think I’ve accepted that, and you know, all the kind of challenges that I’ve faced since and figuring things out and learning by mistakes, learning through experiences, all of those things, I think were, in a way, going to happen when you win a slam at 18 from quallies, ranked 350 in the world two months before.
“I’ve learnt a lot, for sure. I think there are just many iterations that are going on and have gone on. I think I’m slowly figuring out what works for me, and at the slams I think I’m doing better. A few times I’ve had really tough draws as well, last year.
“Yeah, I think just doing the day-to-day and improving myself as a player, which I think I’m doing, but yeah, my form those three weeks was unbelievable, as well. It’s a give-and-take, but I’ve accepted it.”
