Emma Raducanu faces race against time to be fully fit for Australian Open after barely playing tennis during the off-season
Emma Raducanu reveals she did not hit a ball for over two months during the off-season due to injury; Watch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app
Tuesday 6 January 2026 12:09, UK
Emma Raducanu faces a race against time to be fully fit for the Australian Open after revealing that she barely played tennis during the off-season.
The 23-year-old was a late withdrawal from Britain's opening match at the mixed team United Cup event in Perth against Japan on Sunday because of a foot problem that bothered her throughout pre-season.
On Monday Raducanu then lacked the sharpness and stamina required to make it five wins from five against Maria Sakkari, going down 6-3 3-6 6-1 to condemn Britain to defeat against Greece when playing her first match since October after she struggled with illness at the end of last season.
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"In my match, considering the circumstances, doubt whether I was going to play or not today, I'm pretty happy with how I was able to kind of play a match of three sets," she said.
"Considering I played five, six games in practice, it is a big effort for me.
"Really proud of how I kind of put myself out there, despite the scenario and situation. Also playing against Maria, who was playing really, really well. She also has a match under her belt, big win against Naomi [Osaka].
"To produce that level just by the circumstances, I have to be proud of even if it's very difficult right now."
The British No 1, who skipped two exhibition matches in December, spent her pre-season training block in the gym with coach Francisco Roig.
She has only stepped up her racket work in recent weeks but pulled out of her opening match of the United Cup against Osaka at the last minute due to bruising on her right foot before playing for the first time in 83 days against Sakkari.
"I started hitting two weeks ago, so it's been a good two and a bit months where I didn't play. I did fitness. [At the end of November] I was doing fitness, started that. It's been difficult to kind of increase the load and add the unpredictability of the tennis," Raducanu explained.
"I think being able to produce that, having not played, is just giving me confidence to what I can do when I do practice more. I know now I just need to get my head down, keep working.
"It's been a long break for everyone. I think after my last match in Ningbo, it's been a good three months. Initially, you feel a little bit alien on the court, in the first set, just playing points again. Yeah, I just need to try and recover as best as I can, just keep working.
"I think you have to just take it as it comes. I went to Barcelona for two weeks, but wasn't really able to play. Just good a lot of gym where I could, then started static hitting. I kind of played my first points two days ago in practice. It's been a very fast run path.
"I just need to keep going. The season is still very, very young. Week one. There's a long way to go."
Raducanu will next be in action at the Hobart International, which gets under way on January 12 - live on Sky Sports - before the Australian Open starts on January 18 at Melbourne Park.
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