Just a few games into Emma Raducanu’s first contest of the new season, it was clear that an uncomfortable day lay ahead. Having been forced to withdraw from her first scheduled tournament, Raducanu arrived at the Australian Open rusty and undercooked. Under the heightened stress of a grand slam first round match, Raducanu’s serve was completely out of control, double faults cascading from her racket.
As was the case with Jack Draper on the same court less than 24 hours earlier, the end goal for any player in this situation is simple: survive for another day so that there are more opportunities during the tournament to improve. Raducanu showed her survival instincts by fighting through a self-sabotaging 15 double faults to deliver a hard-fought 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 26th seed, in the first round of the Australian Open.
“I’m very proud of how I fought and how I overcame certain situations in that match,” said Raducanu.
Two months ago, as she ended her 2024 season with a positive performance at the Billie Jean King Cup in Málaga, Raducanu hoped she could carry that momentum into the new season. Instead, her pre-season training was significantly disrupted by persistent back spasms that forced her to withdraw from her first scheduled action at the Auckland Open.
Even though she survived her opening game with a hold, that first game already hinted at the service struggles to come. After repeatedly changing her service motion last year, Raducanu ended the season by notably increasing both her first- and second-serve speeds with the aim of turning her first serve into a more effective weapon and fortifying her second serve.
More pace, however, often means more risk, particularly with Raducanu’s second serve, which is struck with ample slice rather than top spin. When her rhythm is off or stress is high, double faults are never far away: “Honestly, I’m not sure what I changed in my serve today,” said Raducanu. “I think it had a mind of its own.”
Afterwards, Raducanu said the key to victory was accepting her limitations on serve and not allowing it to affect her overall performance. “I think the thing about it is it’s very important to not let it trickle into the rest of your game. Maybe when you’re not committing as much on it, it kind of seeps through maybe the first ball after you’re a bit more under the pump. I’ve had experience of having teething problems with it, and then being able to come back and fix it for the next match. I’m looking forward to getting back out on the court tomorrow and working on it.”
Aside from her serve, the first and most important part of every point, Raducanu actually struck the ball well and looked comfortable against the ultra offensive, flat-hitting Alexandrova, who has been a constant presence in and around the top 30 for the last five years. Raducanu returned with consistent depth and her greater defence, shot tolerance and ability to redirect Alexandrova’s flat pace meant she was clearly the superior player in the exchanges.
In the end, both sets concluded similarly as, despite her struggles throughout the match, Raducanu impressively locked down her serve and produced her best level in both of the decisive tie-breaks, completely outplaying Alexandrova as she closed out a gritty performance after two hours and 16 minutes.
“As more [double faults] kept coming, it was not easy to refocus, but I knew that even if I was down, I have great returns. It was good to be able to rely on other parts of my game today that I know are quite strong, as well. I’m just very proud that I didn’t let it affect me too much and let the match run away from me,” said Raducanu
By rising to the occasion in the most important moments on Tuesday, Raducanu has given herself another opportunity to find her best level. She will almost certainly need it. In the second round, Raducanu will face Amanda Anisimova, a former teenage prodigy in her own right and one of the cleanest ballstrikers in the world.
