Emma Raducanu out of Australian Open: Brit needs to up her intensity to challenge top players, says Laura Robson | Tennis news
Emma Raducanu needs to maintain her intensity levels for longer if she wants to challenge the top players, says Laura Robson.
Raducanu won just one game against second seed Iga Swiatek while losing 11 in a row 6-1 6-0 in the third round of the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena.
The 22-year-old came into the tournament with no warm-up matches after back spasms and while she said she had “no excuses” when it came to her fitness, Robson found positives in the heavy defeat.
“The positive thing is that Raducanu moved well and when she managed to stay in the rally she managed to pick up some good points, but the difference for me was the intensity of the two,” he told Sky Sports. tennis expert Robson on Eurosport.
“In a way, it will be a learning curve for Raducanu.
“If she wants to challenge these top players then she has to play with intensity for longer and that’s what she already knows.
“Raducanu will be the first to say that it’s about getting matches and tournaments under her belt, because when you get to this level, Swiatek has played so many Grand Slam third rounds that she’s comfortable, and that was so evident from the first point in the match.
“The footwork and sharpness was there every time she stepped to the line, and if you’re not used to that rhythm, pace or power, then it’s very difficult.”
The loss to Swiatek equaled Raducanu’s heaviest loss of her career – suffered by Elena Rybakina on the WTA Tour in Sydney three years ago.
Swiatek played 69 WTA main draw matches in 2024, while Raducana won 20 of the 33 matches she played in, and that difference was evident on court.
“Swiatek just knows what to do in the important points,” added Robson.
“She was able to step up another gear while Raducanu, who was not playing in a tournament coming into this match and played two very different opponents in the first two rounds, gave her a lot of unforced errors to work with.
“Swiatek gave her absolutely nothing to work with and she was such a good leader.”
After her defeat, Raducanu was proud of how she handled the occasion despite the result and is eager to get right back to work, with the next tournament is scheduled for Singapore in a little over a week – live on Sky Sports Tennis.
She also highlighted her serve as a key area she needs to work on if she is to get close to the top players after losing her serve 16 times and making 24 double faults in six sets.
“During the match, we saw Raducana sitting behind the baseline and she was trying to do something different, but it’s hard to keep turning the point over,” added Robson.
“She would have stepped up her preparations in preparation for this, but Swaitek did well because she played an almost perfect match for me.
“She served almost exclusively on Radcanu’s backhand and it was always the same point.”
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will join Swiatek in the round of 16.
Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as the US Open in New York, live on Sky Sports in 2025 or stream with NOW and The Sky Sports appgiving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
