Raducanu soaks up sun on the beach as she races to be fit for Aus Open

Emma Raducanu receives MBE from King Charles in 2022

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Emma Raducanu has been enjoying some time in the sun by taking a chilled beach day, as the 2021 US Open champion races to be fit for this month’s Australian Open. The opening Grand Slam of the campaign kicks off in just one week, with the world’s best players heading to Melbourne.

Raducanu is hoping to be one of those players, however there are still some doubts the British star could well miss the event due to injury problems. Raducanu – whose career has been riddled with injury since breaking onto the scene at Flushing Meadows in 2021 – picked up her latest fitness issue earlier this month.

The teenager was forced to withdraw from her second round clash at the ASB Classic in Auckland last week against Serbian Viktoria Kuzmova. The retirement came in the deciding set with the scores level at one set apiece, after Raducanu slipped and injured her ankle.

The problem could not have come at a worse time for the former US Open champion, with the opening Grand Slam of the year right around the corner. Away from the stresses of her battle to be fit, Raducanu was seen enjoying some down time at Elwood Beach in Melbourne.

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Some relaxation on the Aussie coastland could have been exactly what the teenage star needed after a tricky 2022 season on the court, which was mostly dominated by injury. Her latest could be her most costly yet, but the Brit is still hopeful of competing in this month’s tournament despite her recent retirement.

Speaking ahead of next Monday’s Australian Open first round, Raducanu said: “I was feeling great about my season and feeling really good with the preparation I did physically. I just had an accident on the court, which I don’t know what I could have done to prevent that.

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“So I’m just taking it a day at a time honestly and every single day try as best as possible to see and make progress. We’ll see. Hopefully by Monday or whenever the tournament starts I’ll be OK.”

Despite this, the youngster is keeping her expectations grounded, adding: “We’re just taking it a day at a time and not trying to expect too much at this point.”

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