Emma Raducanu says she is not expecting too much in her bid to be fully fit in time for the Australian Open.
The Brit is currently nursing an ankle injury that she sustained during the ASB Classic last week in Auckland, New Zealand. In her second round match against Slovakia’s Viktoria Kuzmova, Raducanu rolled her ankle at 5-5 in the second set. She sought medical treatment before being forced to retire from her match at the start of the decider. The match was originally set to be played outdoors but was then moved indoors due to poor weather.
Shortly after sustaining the injury, the 20-year-old criticised the court conditions and said she was unsurprised that such an incident occurred due to what she described as ‘slipper conditions.’ The tournament director has since dismissed concerns over the safety of its courts at the ASB Classic which is currently staging a men’s ATP 250 event.
On Monday Raducanu was seen training in Melbourne and videos of her in action were published on social media by journalist Todd Scoullar who watched the Brit in action. In one Twitter post, Scoullar noted that the former US Open champion wasn’t wearing heavy strapping around her ankle and didn’t need to stop practice at any stage. Although she is still experiencing some discomfort.
Addressing the issue herself, Raducanu said she is continuing to take things one day at a time ahead of the first Grand Slam of 2023.
“It was really unfortunate to be honest last week because I was feeling great about my season,” said Raducanu. “I was feeling really good with the preparation I did physically and I just had an accident on the court. I don’t know what I could have done to really prevent that.
“I am just taking it a day at a time and every single day just trying as best as possible to see and make progress. We’ll see. Hopefully by Monday or whenever the tournament starts I’ll be OK and ready. We’re just taking it a day at a time and not trying to expect too much at this point.”
Raducanu made her Australian Open debut last year where she reached the second round before losing to Danka Kovinic. She has played in only six Grand Slam main draws so far in her career.
The Australian Open draw will take place on Thursday and the first day of action will get underway next Monday. Raducanu is bidding to become the first British woman to win the singles title since Virginia Wade in 1972.
