Emma Raducanu admits her second-round exit Australian Open to Coco Gauff ‘obviously sucks’ but is pleased with the progress she is making under her new coach Sebastian Sachs.
The 20-year-old produced a strong performance against Gauff despite her defeat, creating two set-point opportunities and 10 break-point opportunities in total as she defied the ankle injury she sustained just before the tournament.
No-one was expecting Raducanu to beat Gauff – who is currently ranked 70 spots higher than the British No.1 in the WTA standings – but she showed she was more than capable of competing at the top level in the clash on Rod Laver Arena.
Former British star Tim Henman feels Raducanu can once again challenge for Grand Slam titles if she makes some tweaks to her game and the 2021 US Open champion looks vastly improved since teaming up with coach Sachs last month.
‘I think it was always going to be a tough match and a tough challenge to play against Coco,’ Raducanu said following her defeat at Melbourne Park.
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‘She’s a great opponent, great athlete. But it was a good experience to be out there on Rod Laver.
‘I think in the beginning it took some adjusting to. But it’s such a nice court, and I’m happy to have had a match on that now so, next time, if I come back and play again on that court, I’ll be more familiar.
A brilliant effort ðª@CocoGauff ð¤ @EmmaRaducanu pic.twitter.com/Ua5jGXlLS5— LTA (@the_LTA) January 18, 2023
‘I think I had a lot of chances today. So it obviously sucks a bit, but it’s fine. I’d really like to play her again. I think that maybe with more than five hours under my belt of practice.
‘She’s a great opponent, and I think that we’re going to be playing each other many times in the future as we’re both young and coming, we’re going to be the next generation.’
Quizzed about working with Sachs, Raducanu added: ‘I’m really buying into and trusting the work that I’m doing with Sebastian and the rest of the team.
‘So I’m feeling good and confident that, in six months’ time, I know it’s not going to be the finished product, but hopefully I would have made strides.’