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Emma Raducanu bowed out of the ASB Classic after suffering a 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 1-6 loss to Elina Svitolina in a marathon second-round encounter on Thursday, January 4.
Raducanu, who was playing in her first tournament after a long injury layoff starting in April of 2023, showed signs of revival over the week. She posted a big win over Elena Ruse in her opener before putting up a strong fight against Svitolina.
Speaking to the media during her post-match press conference after the latter encounter, the Briton expressed satisfaction with her performance. The youngster said she was worried about her match fitness given the injury setbacks that she suffered last year, but was happy to see that “up to speed” in her first tournament back.
“Of course, pretty exciting, for me, I have already played two matches and also my court time has been pretty limited. I have been training the last few months at the LTA, but I had a few setbacks with my wrists and ankles. So yeah, to be back up to this speed after so little is, it is a great sign,” Emma Raducanu said.
Raducanu added that while she was obviously disappointed with the loss against Svitolina, she played with an aggressive mindset throughout the encounter.
“And of course, I am disappointed today, because I was a few points away and had a few forehands midcourt… but at least I took them,” Emma Raducanu said. “I think I’d regret it more had I just pushed it in and let her hit the winner.”
The 21-year-old stated that she was looking forward to the season ahead.
”So at least it was on my terms, and yeah, I am looking forward to the season. It’s just the beginning, it is week one of the season. Yeah, a lot more to come,” she added.
“My level is pretty high for two sets, two long sets” - Emma Raducanu after back-to-back marathons
Looking ahead, Emma Raducanu said that the biggest takeaway heading into her next tournament would be that her fitness levels were high and that she was ready to compete even in long matches.
“Yeah, I think I can take away, like my level is pretty high for two sets, two long sets, which lasted like two hours and 15 minutes,” Emma Raducanu said. “And yeah, I am pretty proud of how quickly I was able to get my level up, you know, to be able to compete with Elina.”
Circling back to her match against Elina Svitolina, the Briton said that the fact that she was able to step up her game and be aggressive against a tough opponent filled her with confidence.
“And yeah, I think that she gives you nothing,” Emma Raducanu said. “You really have to win the match and her sets. And I think I did that really well in the first set and then in the second set, I had a few chances and the breaker, the exact same thing, and went for my shots, which got me the first but I just missed them.”
Following a series of withdrawals, Raducanu has also secured direct entry into the 2024 Australian Open, which will be her first Grand Slam tournament in 12 months.
