Mats Wilander has praised Emma Raducanu for her impressive start to the Australian Open, where she secured a hard-fought victory over No. 26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova with a score of 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2). The former seven-time Grand Slam champion remarked that if the 22-year-old Briton can maintain her health, she has the potential to become “one of the best in the world.” Facing a seeded opponent in her opening match in Melbourne, Raducanu demonstrated resilience despite the challenges.
Although Raducanu struggled with her serve, recording six breaks against her opponent while being broken six times herself, she rose to the occasion during the crucial tie-breaks, showcasing her competitive spirit. With this victory, Raducanu, currently ranked No. 61 in the world, is set to face Amanda Anisimova for the first time in her career. Wilander acknowledged the difficulty of the upcoming match, emphasizing the strength of Anisimova’s game while expressing his admiration for Raducanu’s performance.
Tim Henman also came to Raducanu’s defense regarding her serving issues during the match, where she recorded nine aces and 15 double faults, winning only 30 percent of her second-serve points. Henman pointed out that this was Raducanu’s first match of the season after withdrawing from the Auckland tournament due to a back injury. He noted that her serving struggles were understandable given her recent health issues, suggesting that her limited practice time leading up to the event may have affected her performance.
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