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Former world No. 1 Justine Henin said she would be surprised if Emma Raducanu won the Australian Open. Raducanu, 19, made tennis history at the Us Open after becoming the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam. Raducanu, who is enjoying a career-high ranking of No.
18 in the world, is now set for her Australian Open debut. During her interview with Punto de Break, Henin was asked if she could spot any potential surprises in the women's draw. "Regarding Raducanu, I don't think she can repeat what she did (at the US Open).
For me it would be a great, great surprise if she repeated the title," Henin told Punto de Break.
Raducanu suffered a brutal loss in her season opener
Raducanu suffered a 6-0 6-1 loss to Elena Rybakina in the Sydney first round this week but afterwards insisted there was nothing to worry about.
"I felt pretty comfortable and welcome out there on court. I had a lot of support, which is really good," Raducanu said after the loss. "I didn't play tennis for 21 days and to come out and play Rybakina straight up. I mean, it's tough but it's good because I'm very proud and happy that I put myself out there.
"I could have easily said it's too soon and just play next week, but I wanted to really test where I'm at and obviously give myself some competitive points and matches. I think this will help in putting me in a better place for next week." Raducanu was confident she would quickly move past the loss.
"I think that I will brush this off, because for me, like, just getting out there, playing points, yesterday was pretty much like my second time playing competitive points for like two months, even in practice," Raducanu said.
"I'm confident that I can brush it off and just keep going, keep working, and next week I'll have a bit of match experience under my belt."