Emma Raducanu is predicted to become “one of the best players in the world” by Eurosport expert Mats Wilander, provided that she maintains her fitness.
At the Australian Open, the British athlete made a triumphant comeback, defeating 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4) 7-6(2) in a span of two hours and 19 minutes.
Raducanu had to miss the Auckland Classic in the run-up to the year’s first Grand Slam event due to back injuries. She had also missed opportunities the previous two years due to physical setbacks, including a double wrist surgery in 2023. However, she is now confident about competing in Melbourne and feels that she is in good shape to play.
In round two, Raducanu battles American Amanda Anisimova, and she labels her opponent as a “big challenge” and a “hard ball-striker”.
Expert Wilander admitted: “That’s a tough match, but this was a tough match as well… Alexandrova is a good player and you have to play well. I’m very impressed with Emma. Every time I see her, there is no question in my mind that she can become one of the best players in the world if she stays healthy long enough.”
He added: “Anisimova hits the ball very, very, very hard. It’s going to be a tough match, but I love seeing Emma back.”
Tin Henman, another Eurosport expert, said: “It’s great to see her on the match court… Last year, she didn’t play a massive amount of tennis, and you think that she needs to get matches under her belt.”
“She had to pull out of Auckland because of that back spasm. If you’ve got a bad back, the last thing you want to do is serve so she might not have served that much coming into the event… She talked about how her service motion has changed, it’s a little bit longer… If you can serve 15 double faults and still end up winning, there are still other areas of your game that are working pretty well. Against a seeded opponent, she’ll be pleased to get that win under her belt,” he added.
In a social media post, Raducanu shared her win.
View this post on Instagram
Source: Eurosport