Emma Raducanu confident ahead of first-ever match against Ekaterina Alexandrova: “I feel healthy and feel I've been training well”

Emma Raducanu feels physically fit as she prepares to face 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in her Australian Open debut. The 2021 US Open champion will play her first tournament of the season after withdrawing from the ASB Classic two weeks ago.

The Briton enters the tournament in a better position than last year, when she was barely ranked inside the top 300. Now world No. 61, Raducanu secured direct entry and hopes for a strong performance to climb higher in the WTA Rankings.

“I can be dangerous for anyone” - Emma Raducanu

In 2024, Raducanu occasionally demonstrated she was ready to compete at the top level but struggled with consistency, frequently withdrawing from tournaments. She played just three WTA 1000 events throughout the year and missed much of the clay season, including the French Open.

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Since her title win at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu has struggled to leave injury troubles behind. She recently hired Yutaka Nakamura, a physical trainer who previously worked with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, in hopes of resolving her physical challenges. The former world No. 10 expressed confidence during a press conference about being a tough competitor for Alexandrova.

"I feel good. I feel healthy and feel I've been training well. I'm prepared and ready to go. I think I can be a dangerous opponent for anyone really. You have to kind of have that belief as a player. It's not really worth going on court if you don't believe you can win," she said.

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"I think the difference between this and the US Open is I hadn’t actually trained at all before the US Open. But I’ve been putting in really good work. The way [Nakamura] has structured our practices and our days has helped me get to a position where I feel pretty ready."

Raducanu will face Alexandrova on Wednesday morning in what will be their first head-to-head meeting on the Tour. Raducanu hopes to find her rhythm as she starts her season at this prestigious tournament.

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