Emma Raducanu missed out on a chance to face Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, falling to Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday.
The Brit, who went into the tournament feeling there was no pressure on her shoulders, lost 7-6, 6-2 to Potapova. Following the match, she spoke about needing to make changes in her game.
Speaking after the match, Raducanu said that she feels she needs time to focus on realigning her game and changing the way she plays.
Emma Raducanu admits game ‘misalignment’ after Australian Open defeat
Raducanu spoke first about how she’s progressed since the season began, mentioning her foot injury, which has been an issue since the 2025 offseason.
During her post-match press conference, Raducanu was asked: “If you told yourself, you know, January 1st, that you would be at this point, is it still a positive for you?”
She 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 or a 1-line drill. I hadn’t moved from my half of the court.
“So if you would have told me I would have played four matches or five matches in Australia regardless of how they went, from a physical perspective it would have been pretty surprising.
“I think with each one I did get better except today but having to learn and get the feel through matches is really difficult and not something that I want to be doing.
“But because it’s a Grand Slam you feel like you can’t or don’t want to miss out. So I don’t regret the decision because I got to play a slam here.
“Even if I wasn’t very ready, it was still a good three weeks Down Under on and off the court. Now it’s just about being pragmatic and getting back to work.
“The season is long and if I stay healthy and keep doing things right then everything will fall into place.”
Emma Raducanu reflects on her Grand Slam form since US Open title
Raducanu was asked about her form in Grand Slam tournaments during the media session following her loss to Potapova.
Her victory as a qualifier at Flushing Meadows at just 18 years old remains one of the sport’s most unlikely achievements, but replicating that success has proved challenging.
Since then, she has advanced to the second week of a major only once in 13 appearances and reached the third round just three times. This record has led some pundits, including former British number one Greg Rusedski, to suggest that her breakthrough may have come too early.
“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 said when asked about it by reporters in Melbourne.
She continued: “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.”
The Brit then spoke on how she continues to learn from both wins and defeats since taking home her first Grand Slam title back in New York.
“I’ve learned a lot for sure. I think there are just many iterations that are going on and have gone on,” she added. “I’m slowly figuring out what works for me and at slams. A few times I had really tough draws as well last year.
“Yeah, just doing day-to-day improving myself as a player which I think is doing but yeah my form those three weeks was unbelievable as well it’s given take but I’ve accepted it.”
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