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Emma Raducanu is fit and ready for the Australian Open after a “team effort” helped her recover from an ankle injury.
The British No 1’s participation in the first Grand Slam of 2023 was thrown into doubt after she rolled her ankle during a second-round tie at the ASB Classic in August and left the court in tears.
However the 2021 US Open will be fit for her first round match at Melbourne Park against Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch after building up her fitness on the practice court during the week.
“In the match, obviously, at the time, you’re a bit worried about it. When you just go over, you don’t really know what’s going on,” Raducanu said ahead of Monday’s game.
“But we’ve been working very hard. It’s been a team effort to get me to this place. We’ve definitely expedited the process but I’m feeling really good and looking forward to getting out on the court. It’s just a huge, huge props to my team, really here and back home, who have helped get me to this place.”
Raducanu has physio Will Herbert, who was part of her team when she won the US Open, with her again and the pair have been putting in the hours off court to get the 20-year-old ready, although the schedule was not kind with the match first up on the opening day.
Raducanu ‘feeling good’ despite injury scare
The Brit struggled with injuries in 2022 but insisted she is not worried about the disrupted preparation.
“I started practising midweek and we’ve been building it up pretty gradually. But I think that I’ve not really played much tennis ever in my career so I’m kind of used to it. And I’m not stressed about lack of tennis that much.”
Raducanu spent an extended off-season working on her physical conditioning with Andy Murray’s former trainer Jez Green and the injury scare was an unfortunate blow.
However the world No 75 said that it won’t affect the positive feelings she brought into the year, as she looks to establish a solid foundation and climb back up the rankings.
“I think that I was feeling in a really good place mentally,” she said. “In my tennis I was like, ‘yeah, this is going well’. I think I was a bit shocked initially but then it didn’t take anything away from how I’m feeling about the season.
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Emma Raducanu says she is hopeful of being fit in time for the Australian Open after having to withdraw from the ASB Classic in Auckland after turning her ankle.
“And I feel really, really good actually. I just can’t wait to get out there on the court this year. I think that I’m setting things up really nicely with the way my team is looking at the moment. And I’m just buzzing to start and get going.
“I would say I’m definitely in stronger shape. I’m in a better condition physically. I did a lot of work and I’m very pleased with how it went physically.”
Raducanu won her only previous match against Korpatsch on clay in Stuttgart last year, coming through in three sets.
“She’s an awkward player, bit tricky,” said Raducanu, who reached the second round on her debut here last year. “So it’ll be a good challenge to get used to her style and play. It’ll be a good test for me to see where I’m at.”
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