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Emma Raducanu will play her first Grand Slam tournament in 12 months at the 2024 Australian Open. The youngster had to undergo minor surgery on both her wrists, which coupled with other injuries had her sidelined for a major part of the previous season.
On the comeback trail, Raducanu will be understandably measured with her expectations. Fans, however, continue to hope that the Briton will repeat her heroics from the 2021 US Open - when she lifted her first (and only to date) Grand Slam title as a qualifier.
While she has shown flashes of her best tennis since then, they have come in patches. Be it the stellar dismissals of Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati or an inspired run to the Korea Open semi-finals (both in 2022), sudden injuries and a dramatic drop in form have taken the spring out of her step more often than not.
Having fallen outside the top 100 within a year of having won her first Grand Slam title, Raducanu could not help but find murmurs of “One Slam Wonder” every time she stepped on the court or a room full of mediapersons.
But can someone lose their world-beater quality in such a short span? Raducanu’s ability to hold her ground in the face of big hitting, the sting on her forehand, and the quality of her serve were all talked about for weeks after her US Open triumph. Can all that disappear in a jiffy? The youngster would like to believe the answer is no.
Fit again and raring to go, Emma Raducanu will step out on court at Melbourne Park hoping that this year’s Australian Open will turn things around for her.
Emma Raducanu and Australian Open, the 'Comeback Slam'
The Australian Open has over the years given the tennis world many a ‘Comeback Hero’. Be it Caroline Wozniacki’s long-awaited Grand Slam title after a few years in the wilderness or Petra Kvitova’s emotional run to the final after the knife, the stage loves a comeback story.
And there’s a good reason for that. The tennis season is long and arduous and most players begin to show signs of wear and tear towards the end or even mid-way through the season. That, however, is not the case with the Australian Open.
Players fly down to Melbourne fresh, injury-free, and ready to go each year. The pre-season also presents the unique opportunity for players to fine-tune the smaller elements of their games which only add to their confidence.
It is no different for Emma Raducanu, who has had plenty of time to recover from her injury and complete the customary pre-season training. The fact that she started the season with a battling three-hour win was testament alone to her being ready for the physical grind that comes with the 10-month season.
Raducanu has good memories to draw from previous outings at the Australian Open. Grand Slam match wins have been hard to come by for Raducanu, but she has ensured at least one match win when playing in front of the Aussie fans. Her grit shone through in the second-round contest against Coco Gauff at last year’s tournament. While Raducanu came up short in the end, she looked very comfortable in the playing conditions.
Emma Raducanu needs to rediscover the freedom
When swinging freely, Emma Raducanu can be extremely effective from the baseline. Her piercing groundstrokes can push any opponent onto the backfoot. She also enjoys stepping inside the court to take the ball early, which in turn puts her in control of the proceedings.
For all that to materialize, however, she has to be in the right mental frame. When under pressure, be it the form of a stiff opponent or the constant chatter around her not playing to her "full potential", she tends to fall back. And Raducanu’s shots are just not as effective from two feet behind the baseline.
The Briton has previously spoken about the pressure that comes with the reputation of being a Grand Slam winner or a defending champion. It is understandable for young players, teenagers in Raducanu’s case, to be overwhelmed by these thoughts.
But the longer one stays on the tour, the better they get at handling the pressure, and Raducanu’s recent media appearances hint at maturity. After her loss to Elina Svitolina in Brisbane, the youngster spoke about giving herself time to get back to her best.
More importantly, she spoke positively of her intent in the match, saying she was happier going for her shots and missing than simply putting the ball back in to allow her opponent to seize control.
Raducanu may have misfired heavily in that final set against Svitolina, but the aggression was reminiscent of her US Open run where she claimed a mind-boggling 50% of the points on return. The shot selection and quality will improve with every passing match, but as long as the intent remains, she can be a threat to just about anyone standing across the net.
The youngster plays another player on the comeback trail, Shelby Rogers, in her Australian Open first round. The depth of women’s tennis at the moment does not allow for any easy matches. Raducanu may also run into the likes of Sorana Cirstea, Zheng Qinwen, and Jessica Pegula in the first week itself.
That said, if the Briton manages to rediscover the freedom in her racket swing that characterized her early days on tour, she will shed the “One Slam Wonder” tag sooner rather than later.
