Emma Raducanu’s return to Melbourne has been a heavily rushed one, thus detracting from her preparation.
Ahead of events of this magnitude, being stable and relaxed beforehand goes a long way towards promoting success.
Frustratingly for the British number one, she has been afforded no grace, forced to kickstart her Australian Open campaign on Sunday despite being one of the tournament’s later arrivals.
Quizzed on this particular issue, Emma Raducanu did not hold back when voicing her displeasure, chatting with reporters.
Emma Raducanu’s issue with the Australian Open schedule
First asked about the difficulties of this quick turnaround, the 22-year-old noted: “Yeah, it’s very difficult. You would love to have more time in the environment, more time practising, but I guess I was pretty much handed the schedule to try and turn it around and make the most out of what is in front of me.
“I think it’s easy to get down and complain about it, but it’s not going to help. So I’m just trying to focus and turn it around for tomorrow.”
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Raducanu then sought to plainly outline the implications of this awkward scheduling for her, expanding on her frustration.
She added: “Yeah, I think it’s very difficult to be scheduling women’s matches after a potential five-set match. To me, it doesn’t really make as much sense, but I think after seeing it, you know, the initial reaction is probably, like, oh, it’s a late one. Then you deal with it, and you try and shift your day and adjust.
“Like today, I’m going to practice and see what it’s like. I don’t think I have been in that situation. Only once before, maybe when I played the semis of the US Open. I played the second night match, but other than that, I haven’t played that late.
“So for me, it’s a new experience, something that I need to learn to do. Hopefully, if I’m playing this game for a long time, I’ll probably be in this situation again, so it’s a good learning step to try and adjust and deal with that day, as well.”
Emma Raducanu’s second Grand Slam event with Francisco Roig
Whilst the US Open was under Francisco Roig’s watchful eye, this Australian Open marks the first meaningful major event where we get to see what Raducanu looks like after months of her new coach’s methods.
The uncertainty surrounding her coaching situation over the last few years has been one of the great points of debate within British tennis, with many imploring her to find consistency in that role.
At last it seems she has found that, with Raducanu’s relationship with Francisco Roig recently praised by Laura Robson.
At the US Open, the 2021 champion suffered a comprehensive third-round thrashing at the hands of Elena Rybakina.
Emma Raducanu won her first Grand Slam too soon – Prove me wrong!
It will be interesting to see whether she can trouble Aryna Sabalenka at that same stage in Melbourne, with the two poised to meet once again should they both win their opening two matches.
Raducanu has made clear progress under Roig, but her ability to perform on the biggest stages is where her actual development as a player will be measured.
