Emma Raducanu admits it was ‘good’ to rely on other parts of her game after struggling with her serve during her opening match at the Australian Open.
The former US Open champion began her campaign in Melbourne Park with a 7-6(4), 7-6(2), win over 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in what was her first Tour-level match of 2025. She was due to start the year in Auckland but withdrew due to a back problem.
“I’m very pleased to have come through that match. It was difficult,” said Raducanu.
“It was quite hot out there, getting quite sunny. Obviously playing against a really experienced and seeded opponent who is playing great tennis.
“I’m very proud of how I fought and how I overcame certain situations in that match.”
Raducanu wasn’t troubled by physical issues on Tuesday; instead, she was troubled by technical issues with her serve. She produced 15 unforced errors and won only 13 out of 43 points behind her second serve. As a result, she was broken six times in the match, the same number as her Russian rival.
“I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today. I think it had a mind of its own,” she said.
“I think in the first set I was hitting a lot of good first serves. I hit a few aces. At the same time, I was hitting a double-fault. I was quite accepting that, Okay, I’m at least going for it.
“As the balls got heavier, it was a lot more difficult. As I think more kept coming, it was not easy to kind of refocus, but I knew that even if I was down, I have great returns.
“It was good to be able to rely on other parts of my game today that I know are quite strong, as well.
“I’m just very proud that I didn’t let it affect me too much and let the match run away from me.”
It is the fourth year in a row that the 22-year-old has made it through to the second round of the Australian Open but she has yet to win back-to-back matches at the Grand Slam. The only other major she has yet to win back-to-back matches at is the French Open.
Raducanu’s next test will be America’s Amanda Anisimova who is currently ranked 35th in the world and has won two WTA titles so far in her career. Anisimova beat Argentina’s María Lourdes Carlé 6-2, 6-3, in her opening match.
“She’s a big ball-striker. She hits the ball really hard,” Raducanu said of her next opponent.
“I practiced with her a couple of times. She likes to dictate. So I think it’s going to be a big challenge for me. She’s had some amazing results, as well. She broke out really early.”
“I’m looking forward to going out there and testing my game and seeing where I’m at.”
Raducanu has now won 19 Grand Slam main draw matches so far in her career.
