AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2025

Emma Raducanu

Press Conference

E. RADUCANU/A. Anisimova

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Emma, you must be pretty proud of that win today. Your thoughts on your performance?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I'm very happy. I thought I played really well in some big moments in that match. I thought it was going to be a really challenging one, playing Amanda.

She's obviously a good friend of mine, so it's never easy. I feel like that adds another dimension to the match, but yeah, I'm happy I stuck with her in the second set and came through and found a way.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Just on the physical side of it, is this the legacy of the back spasm? Is it sort of the same thing? Do you think it's just maybe getting back into playing matches and, yeah, just sort of from the other day.

EMMA RADUCANU: I haven't fully investigated it yet. I just did my recovery and stuff. Haven't seen the physios. I think it's almost to be expected when you haven't played a match in so long, and then to have two really physical ones, yeah, I think small niggles are going to come up here and there. I'm just hoping that it is that.

Yeah, I was able to push past some pain today, but yeah, I'm going to just try and recover as best as possible over the next day.

Q. Were you feeling it a bit during the first set as well? Did it kind of get worse, and did it get better after the treatment?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, I felt it pretty much like quite early in the match in the first set, but I was trying not to show anything, of course.

Then I asked for some, like, Tylenol or some medication basically, but they don't give you that without assessing you. The treatment is very difficult because you don't have much time at all, so it's hard to really make an impact. You just kind of have to get on with it.

You then get two changeovers as well for the rest of the match. You have to try and be a bit tactical when you take them because if you go to a third set, you know you need to kind of use it there.

So it was hard to kind of think about, but I'm just glad. I don't know how I managed to fight back in the second set and, yeah, take it.

Q. You mentioned you were playing a good friend today. I just wondered whether, given that it's not easy to play a good friend, over the last year or two that you've been on the circuit, is there a temptation to just not really make friends on the tour because of that?

EMMA RADUCANU: I would say it is hard. I think I've played some friends a few times now. I think today was the best I've probably handled it in terms of leaving it off the court. I think as soon as we stepped on the court, we just, yeah, put that aside. We were both trying to beat each other.

Yeah, it's not necessarily the nicest feeling, but I think I know who my friends are in terms of most of them, pretty much all of them are away from the tour, and I think I quite like keeping it that way.

But I obviously have a few friends on tour who I get on really well with, and it also is nice to be able to relate to someone. We all go through the same things. Yeah, they understand what I would go through, and me the same.

Q. Just back on your back again, how is it feeling now, and how will it affect your preparations for the next round? Will you be able to train normally tomorrow?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah. I think I'll probably just take it easy tomorrow. I'll probably have a light hit. Nothing crazy. I've played a lot of tennis today and two days ago, so I don't think I need to overdo it on the practice court. Just to keep the body taking over a little bit and just recover really.

Q. Can you feel it now?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I can feel it a bit, but I mean, I still have some time.

Q. Firstly, your thoughts on your next opponent. You're playing Iga. Also, just wondered, you both won slams as teenagers, broke out. You've had injuries. Have you ever sort of been envious watching her as she's kind of flown on and been World No. 1 and won a bunch of slams?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, she is a top player. She's been really consistent over the last quite a few years. So, I mean, it's going to be a match for me where I feel like I don't really have much expectation externally. I think you always have the pressure that you put on yourself to perform to your best ability, which is not really going to change, but that's every match.

But I think I'm going to enjoy playing in a great atmosphere. I think the last two matches I've had the crowd has been amazing, the support here. I've really felt at home. It's just been a really nice feeling to be a part of.

I'm looking forward to going out there and testing my game against the best, because ultimately, you play tennis, and you live for these matches. It's going to be a great buzz of adrenaline.

Q. Have you ever looked at her sort of path in the last few years and sort of cursed your bad luck with injuries and that sort of thing?

EMMA RADUCANU: No, I haven't necessarily. Of course I've seen her win a lot, but I also know that we've had very different paths.

I know that she was playing since a very young age, and my hours in comparison were probably, yeah, a bit comical when I was 17, 18 playing six hours a week (laughing). I don't think it was the same trajectory.

Yeah, I think now I'm working on building those foundations, and everyone kind of does things at their own pace.

Q. You talked a bit about how you are working on your end of ranges and working on strengthening that with Yutaka. You had to do a lot of chasing and defending today, especially in the second set. I remember there was one forehand on a big point that you kind of dropped back into play. Did you feel like that is already starting to pay off, you're getting stronger in those positions when you really have to stretch?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think I had some great points today where I was defending. I mean, most of the match, to be honest. I thought I was moving really well into the corners.

I think, yeah, I was able to get to some balls that maybe I wouldn't have been able to previously. The thing is you never really know, like, okay, why was I able to make that shot? All you can do is take care of the work you're doing each day, and it will kind of just come out naturally on the court.

Yeah, it's still early days, but I'm pleased with how I'm defending and building that aspect in my game as well.

Q. 5-3 in the first set, I saw you look in the box and point to your head. Is mentality and resilience something that you and the team particularly place emphasis on at the moment?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, I don't know if Katie saw that. If Katie Boulter saw that, she might have a little word. I think she's the OG of that one. We have a good relationship, so I'm sure she won't mind me using it in clutch moments (smiling).

But, yeah, I was just sticking out really tough. That was a really good serving game for me. I was able to really go for my first serve, and I think considering the start of the match, I was still a little bit edgy on it kind of overcoming that in that moment. Yeah, it was just a little, like, You got this.

Q. I was going to ask about your training day. Obviously you hit a couple of double faults today. Was that something that you put a lot of work in on yesterday?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I did. I practiced my serve, but it was very difficult yesterday because when I was training, it started raining a lot in the morning. So then everyone was four on a court. Then we got a 15-minute time slot practice. I don't know what I'm meant to practice in 15 minutes, so we just hustled a little bit and got another 15, but it was just all in the crosses.

I mean, I practiced a bit of my serve, but I think also not deeping it too much and just kind of going out there, tossing the ball, and hitting it.

Q. You seemed to be laughing a lot on court today. I wondered if you feel like this year is a bit of a new start. Last year there was some negativity about pulling out of the mixed doubles with Andy Murray. How are you feeling going into this year and especially going up against Iga next?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think this year I'm just approaching it quite holistically, I would say, in the sense of just having good people around me, having a positive outlook.

You know, anything that's not necessarily serving me, I'm just pretty savage in terms of just prioritizing myself and focusing. Anything that wants to try and affect that, I don't have time for it. No hate. I just don't want to kind of let that in.

But, I mean, I saw Andy today, and he said, Well done, and congratulated me. That was really nice. He's someone that I look up to a lot. So it's good to have that pat on the back from him.

Q. You've played two big ball strikers in the first two rounds. How, I guess, satisfying is it to find other ways to win, figuring out how to neutralize them, problem-solving? I guess how tough is it, and how satisfying is it to do that?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I would say traditionally I've probably been labeled as a player who is an aggressive baseliner, and that's been my only dimension.

But I think having the ability and dexterity to kind of do other things on the court is really beneficial when you play these big hitters and big opponents because, like, again today, almost the better that I played, the better that she would also play.

She loved the ball speed. She hits one of the cleanest balls I think on the tour. So powerful. Changed direction so early. So it was really difficult. I think being able to use other dimensions was helpful today against that opponent, but I mean, every day, every match is different.

Q. You also mixed in a few slices and low slices and pulled her in. I actually saw you kind of using it in practice last week. How much have you worked on that shot and being able to provide a different shot, I guess?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I would say that has just been quite a natural thing for me in the last year, I would say. Just whenever I'm practicing, sometimes I'll just slice.

I think it's more just my character and my personality. I think I'm pretty spontaneous at times. Just the more you do it in practice, then you kind of build confidence. You'll just naturally do it in a match without really thinking and then maybe see it has success and then maybe do it again.

I think that's, yeah, my character and personality I think also coming on the court.