Australian Open: Emma Raducanu - "It was a pretty good learning experience"
US Open winnerEmma Raducanu was eliminated in round two of the Australian Open due to blisters on her batting hand. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old saw the positive side even in the hour of defeat.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Jan 21, 2022, 03:44 pm
From the dream of the second Grand Slam title in a row: After a three-set defeat against Danka Kovinic in the second round of the Australian Open, Emma Raducanu has to return home. For the Brit, a turbulent Australian summer is also coming to an end, which was not under a particularly good star due to a positive corona test in December. Ultimately, it should also be the associated self-isolation, the consequences of which significantly affected Raducanu in Melbourne.
Because of the training-free time, blisters formed at Raducanu in Australia. Against Kovinic, the 19-year-old almost exclusively relied on the slice on the forehand side. "Probably I hit more in this match than in the last two to three years. That was definitely one thing I learned, my slice forehand isn't that bad and I have a kind of manual dexterity," admitted Raducanu on record at the press conference.
Some members of the team around neo-trainer Torben Beltz even suggested that she not compete, added the reigning US Open winner. Therefore, she is "just proud of how I kept fighting even in the situations in which I really struggled. I couldn't do much, but I just didn't give up."
Not least because of this fighting spirit, Raducanu drew a not too negative conclusion: "I think it was a pretty good learning experience for me. I discovered resources about myself and my game that I didn't know I had before. So can I can take something positive out of this match myself."
Here is the women's individual tableau
laver arena