Emma Raducanu Faces Tough Turnaround Ahead of Australian Open Opener
Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open campaign is set to begin under less-than-ideal circumstances, and she’s not hiding the fact that the scheduling has made things complicated. After a deep run to the quarterfinals in Hobart, the British No. 1 only just touched down in Melbourne on Friday-and now she’s slated to open her tournament on Sunday night.
Not only is she playing on Day 1, but she’s also been assigned the second night match on Margaret Court Arena, following a men’s match scheduled to start at 7 p.m. local time. That means a potentially very late start, and for a player still working her way back into rhythm, the timing is far from ideal.
Raducanu was set to get her first practice session in at 9 p.m. Saturday night, just hours before her opener. Speaking about the situation, she didn’t sugarcoat the challenges.
“It’s very difficult,” she said. “You would love to have more time in the environment, more time practicing, but I guess I was pretty much handed the schedule to try and turn it around and make the most out of what is in front of me.”
Instead of dwelling on the situation, Raducanu is trying to stay focused on what she can control. “It’s easy to get down and complain about it, but it’s not going to help,” she added. “So I’m just trying to focus and turn it around for tomorrow.”
Still, she didn’t hold back when discussing the broader issue of scheduling women’s matches after men’s best-of-five contests. “It’s very difficult to be scheduling women’s matches after a potential five-set match. To me, it doesn’t really make much sense.”
For Raducanu, this kind of late-night slot is unfamiliar territory. “I don’t think I’ve been in that situation,” she said.
“Only once before maybe when I played the semi-finals of the US Open. I played the second night match, but other than that, I haven’t played that late.
So, for me, it’s a new experience, something that I need to learn to do.”
And it’s not just the schedule working against her. The 23-year-old has been managing a foot injury that disrupted her pre-season preparations. That lack of court time showed in her early matches this year-she looked rusty against Maria Sakkari at the United Cup and, after a solid win over Camila Osorio in Hobart, fell to Australia’s Taylah Preston in the next round.
Still, there’s reason for optimism. Raducanu says her foot is improving and that she’s in a better place now than she was at the start of the trip.
“It’s definitely a lot better,” she said. “I’ve been having to manage it for the last few months but I’m really happy with the progress that I’ve made this year. I came out to Australia not knowing how it would go and now I’m in a much better place and just improving day by day.”
She’s also taking a long-view approach to her season, knowing that one rough start doesn’t define the year.
“I could easily get frustrated about not having the pre-season I wanted,” she said. “I think it would only frustrate me.
After last year being my first real year on tour, I really learned that the season is so long. I just want to try and work my way into this year.”
That perspective is helping her manage expectations. “Obviously I want this week to go well but I know that I’m working on the right things and it will slot into place at some point.
I started training very, very late on tennis-wise. So, because of that, I feel like I need to kind of take the pressure off myself and not put too much pressure on and expect to be playing amazing tennis.”
Her first-round opponent is Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, who’s making her Grand Slam debut and is ranked No. 195 in the world. On paper, it looks like a manageable draw for Raducanu-but she’s not taking anything for granted.
“I think it’s a tricky one,” she said. “Playing a lot of matches, even if it’s at ITF level, and getting a lot of wins, it does so much.
I think it’s a very dangerous opponent, a very dangerous situation to be in. You don’t know that much about them, so there is that element of surprise, too.”
Venus Williams Ready to Make History in Melbourne
While Raducanu is dealing with the grind of tour life as a rising star, Venus Williams is embracing the moment as a seasoned veteran with nothing left to prove-but plenty still to enjoy.
The 45-year-old is back at the Australian Open for the first time since 2021, and when she steps on court, she’ll become the oldest woman to compete in the main draw at Melbourne Park. She surpasses Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she last played here in 2015.
“I hadn’t thought about it until it came out in the press, so yay, yay for me,” Williams said with a smile. “Let’s do this.”
Williams first played the Aussie Open back in 1998 and reached the final here in 2017. Now, nearly three decades after her debut, she’s still finding motivation and joy in the game.
After dealing with injuries and health setbacks, Williams made a return to the court last summer. She notched her first singles win in two years in Washington and made a quarterfinal run in women’s doubles at the US Open alongside Leylah Fernandez.
At one point, it seemed like Australia might not be on the cards. But when a wildcard invitation came, Williams didn’t hesitate.
“You’ve got to throw some red herrings, right?” she joked.
“Also, I was getting married. I had two weddings coming up.
It was a busy time for me, so I was focused on that.”
Now, with the spotlight once again on her, Williams is embracing the challenge.
“This is the greatest place on earth to play,” she said. “I have had amazing memories here. I love challenges, so I’m up for the challenge.”
Whether it’s Raducanu navigating the early-season grind or Williams chasing history, the Australian Open is already delivering storylines worth watching. And with both players stepping into the unknown in their own ways, all eyes will be on how they handle the moment when the lights come on.