Emma Raducanu pulls out of Australian Open: Britain needs more strength to compete with top players, says Laura Robson | Tennis news

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Emma Raducanu needs to maintain her fitness level for longer if she is to compete with the best players, says Laura Robson.

Radukanu won just one match against second seed Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in a 6-1 6-0 thrashing of 11 hammers.

The 22-year-old went into the tournament without any warm-ups following a back injury and despite insisting there were “no excuses” in her fitness, Robson got the better of the heavy loss.

“The positives were that Raducanu was moving well and when she was able to stay on the line she was able to collect some good points but for me the difference was in the strength of the two,” he told Sky Sports. Robson, the tennis pro, is on. Eurosport

“It’s going to be a learning curve for Radukan in a way.

“If she wants to challenge these top players, she will have to play hard for a longer period of time and she already knows that.

“Raducanu will be the first to say that it’s about getting matches and tournaments under her belt, because when she got to this level, Swiatek played so many third-round Grand Slams that she was comfortable and it was very clear from the beginning that she had a point in the match.

“Her footwork and sharpness was there every time she stepped up to the line, and if you’re not used to that kick, speed or power, it’s tough.”

Image:
Radukan congratulates Swiatek (right) following their third-round match at the Australian Open.

The loss to Swiatek equaled Radukan’s worst career loss – she suffered against Elena Rybakina three years ago in Sydney at a WTA Tour event.

Swiatek in 2010 She has played 69 WTA main-draw matches in 2024 and has won 20 of Raducanu’s 33 matches, and that difference has been evident on court.

“Swiatek knows what to do at the most important points,” added Robson.

“She was able to step it up another gear, Raducanu, who had not played in a tournament coming into this match and played two different opponents in the first two rounds, gave her a lot of unforced errors.

“Swiatek gave her nothing to work with and such a good front runner.”

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Following the defeat, Radukanu scored the result but was proud of how she handled the event and is eager to get straight back to work, with her next competition in Singapore just over a week away – Tennis live on Sky Sports.

After being broken 16 times in six sets and hitting 24 double faults, she said serving was a key area she needed to work on if she wanted to get close to the top players.

Robson added: “In the game, we saw Raducanu try to do something different from behind the goal, but it’s hard to get a point back.”

“She’s been pushing her preparations to get ready for this but Swaytech has done well because she’s a perfect match for me.

“She was just a backhand for Radcan and the same point over and over again.”

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will join Sweet in the last 16.

Watch the ATP and WTA Tours as well as the US Open in New York in 2025 on Sky Sports. Release with NOW and the Sky Sports AppGiving Sky Sports customers access to more than 50 per cent more live sports this year at no extra charge. Find out more here.

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