Key Highlights
- Emma Raducanu expresses concern about her Australian Open first-round match schedule.
- The 23-year-old’s match is set for Sunday night in Melbourne, less than 48 hours after arriving from Hobart.
- Tennis players often face short turnarounds, but Raducanu questions the logic of tight scheduling.
Emma Raducanu Questions Australian Open Match Schedule
Tennis player Emma Raducanu has expressed her concerns over the Australian Open schedule, specifically regarding her first-round match on Sunday night in Melbourne. The 23-year-old British number one only arrived at the tournament Saturday after reaching the quarter-finals of a warm-up tournament in Hobart and being hindered by a delayed flight.
Raducanu’s situation highlights the challenges faced by players with tight schedules, particularly when they are required to move from one location to another within a short timeframe. The 2021 US Open champion is seeded at a major for the first time in over three years and is ranked 29th in the world. Her arrival at the Australian Open was delayed due to travel issues, making her preparation even more challenging.
Short Turnaround and Potential Late-Night Start
“It’s very difficult,” said Raducanu. “You would love to have more time in the environment, more time practising, but I guess I was pretty much handed the schedule to try and turn it around.” She faces Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Margaret Court Arena later Sunday night, following a men’s singles match between Kazakh 10th seed Alexander Bublik and American Jenson Brooksby. The match is set to begin at 7 pm local time (6 am GMT), potentially leading to Raducanu arriving on court close to midnight.
The Australian Open has faced criticism in the past for matches going late, with some arguing that scheduling women’s matches after potential five-set men’s matches could be detrimental. “I think it’s very difficult to be scheduling women’s matches after a potential five-set match,” said Raducanu. “To me, it doesn’t really make as much sense.” The Australian Open has form for matches running into the early hours, with Andy Murray finishing a 2023 match at 4:05 local time.
Preparation and Future Implications
Raducanu is planning her preparations carefully. “After seeing it, the initial reaction is ‘oh, it’s a late one,'” she said. “Then you deal with it, try and shift your day and adjust.” The delayed flight to Melbourne meant Raducanu did not train on Friday and pushed her sole practice session back to 9 pm Saturday to adapt to late-night tennis conditions.
“When I played the semis of the US Open I played second night match, but other than that, I haven’t played that late,” she said. “So it’s a new experience, something that I need to learn to do.” With her lack of practice evident in recent matches and her climb back into the world’s top 30, Raducanu is keen on learning to handle these challenging situations.
Raducanu made encouraging progress in 2025, climbing back into the world’s top 30 and playing more matches than in any previous season. However, her off-season technical work was hampered by a foot injury, impacting her performance. “I haven’t really taken the results in the past few weeks too seriously,” Raducanu told BBC Sport. “I know I am working my way into it, and even this week, I know I still am on the way to where I want to be.” She remains optimistic about her progress.
