Raducanu Blames Poor Preparation For Australian Open Exit

Emma Raducanu has blamed her exit in the second round of the Australian Open on being ill-prepared before going toe-to-toe with Coco Gauff.

Although Raducanu struggled with an ankle problem, an injury picked up 13 days before the second-round match, she came close to staging an upset against world number seven Gauff in a captivating match on Red Laver Arena.

The British number one chided herself for not producing her best performance in order to progress to the third round in Melbourne.

"I would say all the chips were against us. I had extremely limited practice time, and I think I can say that now I'm not competing anymore," she said during her post-match news conference.

"It was obviously going to be a push to get me on the court. I think 13 days ago if you would have told us 'you're going to be in the draw and win a round,' it would have been a massive effort for sure.

"I still think I didn't necessarily play my best today.

"It bugs me a little bit because I know I could have done better but I will keep moving forward from here."

When quizzed if she could challenge the top players on a more regular basis, Raducanu said has no doubts she can compete with the very best after she fought back to create two opportunities to send the match into a decider, although she couldn't take one of two set points at 5-4.

"I have no doubt. I was competitive today and I've had five hours' practice in the past two or three weeks since my last match," she answered.

"I don't have any doubts about what I can do when I'm fully fit. I know my potential."