Emma Raducanu is out of the Australian Open, and it didn't take long. She lost in the second round to WTA No. 55 Anastasia Potapova in straight sets. It was windy in the first set, but both players had to deal with the issue. Raducanu didn't do it as well.
The Brit admitted to as much in her post-match press conference, so at least while she hinted at the wind being an excuse, she gave credit to her opponent as well. She needed to. Still, the loss was just another in a long run of disappointing results at Grand Slams since she shockingly won the US Open in 2021.
Since she has only made it to one fourth round, and that was Wimbledon in 2024. For all the promise she showed in winning in New York, injuries and poor form have kept her success to a minimum. She can hit with power and move well, but she is extremely inconsistent.
Emma Raducanu tries to make sense of losing in the second round of the Australian Open
She also, at times, hasn't appeared to be committed to her craft. Some tennis pundits have thought she spends too much of her attention on endorsement opportunities instead of trying to improve her game. As for her future, even Emma Raducanu doesn't seem to be certain what's next.
While speaking with the media after her second-round Australian Open loss, she said, "I don’t think I’m gonna get straight back on the practice court. I think I’m gonna take a few days, get back, get back home, and try and just re-evaluate my game a bit."
But when asked to clarify, her answers were broad and without real direction. She simply might not know how to get better.
She added, "I think just, yeah, reassess the aspects of my game, just watch it back, see where I can improve. What I’ve been feeling, and also what is visually apparent. So just combining those two and working on the things, and I definitely want to feel better on certain shots before I start playing again. So for me, that’s more of a priority than getting back onto the match court."
That doesn't seem to make much sense. A player can practice and practice against good players, but the only way to truly get better is to play matches. A clear difference exists between being a great practice session player and being able to defeat a player ranked outside the top 50.
Maybe Raducanu needs to make a huge change to her team and add a high-level coach who will challenge her to be great. She would need to want to be challenged, though. Whether she is or not remains to be seen, just as the next step in her tennis career does, too.