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as Emma Raducanu It’s no secret that winning the U.S. Open as an 18-year-old qualifier always sets an extremely unfair level of expectations for a player so early in his career who is inexperienced and still has a lot to learn. But four-and-a-half years after that night in New York, the England No. 1 admits that attempts to develop her game haven’t worked and it’s time to take a step back, “reevaluate” and perhaps play more like she did in her youth.
Raducanu loses to Anastasia Potapova in second round australian open The 23-year-old was limited by a foot injury after a difficult offseason. She said it was quite surprising to be able to start in Melbourne, let alone play five games so far this season. Raducanu said her foot was not 100% recovered during the Australian Open and would need further evaluation after returning home. It didn’t help that the conditions were complicated and there were cyclones surrounding the venue.
But the biggest problem Raducanu identified after losing 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 to world No. 55 Potapova was a lack of what she called a tennis “identity.” Despite leading 5-3 in the first set, Raducanu’s performance was erratic and hesitant, lacking confidence in his attacks and feeling like he had to fight to survive. As the errors piled up, the weapon that made her the most unlikely Grand Slam champion ever in 2021 – her powerful early forehand – abandoned her.
“At the end of the day, I just want to hit the ball hard into the corner,” she said. “I feel like I’m doing all sorts of things, but not exactly what I want to do. I need to play in a way that’s more similar to when I was younger. I’m always changing directions, getting the ball early and just working on it. I think I’m definitely capable of doing a lot of things on the court, but I feel like, as I’m learning all these skills, I also need to stand my ground and go hard. For me, it’s pretty simple.”
It’s perhaps unsurprising that Raducanu admits she feels she’s lost her way Consider the revolving door of coaches Following her stunning Grand Slam breakthrough, she said: “I think there are a lot of iterations that are happening and have continued.”
Raducanu appears to have found some stability in Francisco Roig, the Spaniard who was part of Rafael Nadal’s team for much of his illustrious career. However, Raducanu looked particularly flat and subdued against Potapova, hanging her head after losing the first set and having little interaction with her dugout.
“I think I want to play differently, and I think the inconsistency between how I’m playing now and how I want to play is something I want to address,” she said, an ominous sign that further changes may be coming.
“I think there’s definitely some part of me that’s playing the way I want to play, and it’s going to pop up, which is positive, and probably more positive than it has been at some points in my career over the last few years. But it’s not going to be the way I want it every day. It’s not going to be there right away, but the more I work on playing the way I want to play, the more it will reflect who I am every time I step on the court.”
Perhaps the most unsatisfying aspect of Raducanu was her forehand struggles, which saw her commit 16 of 28 unforced errors in the match. Ahead of the Australian Open, Raducanu was asked about the different forehand swing she brought to Melbourne, which is now bigger and taller and requires more time to get around the ball, and she pointedly said the changes were “not something I really wanted to happen”.
Raducanu knows she won’t be the same player without her favorite goal. “I definitely want to feel better on some shots before I start playing again,” she said, noting that fixing her forehand will be more important than her feet.
After a positive 2025 season, Raducanu Return to the top 30 in the world And ensuring she is seeded in a major for the first time in three years, missing much of the offseason has undoubtedly hampered her progress. She was limited to static training before flying to Australia, and at a time when most other players are fresh and ready to go, Raducanu is not feeling certain as the new year begins. Last season, her Grand Slam exits fell to some of the world’s best players, including Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina. Still, another tough draw ensues. Although she is seeded at the Australian Open, a third-round clash with top-seeded Sabalenka in Melbourne looms.
But Raducanu didn’t even get that far. In many ways, this is a step backwards, which in turn may lead Raducanu to go back to square one and turn back the clock in search of answers.