Emma Raducanu’s Grand Slam comeback came to an end in Melbourne after a defeat against Wang Yafan, but former British No 1 Tim Henman believes she should take confidence from the first phase of her comeback.
The 2021 US Open champion, playing only her fourth match since returning from eight months out and three surgeries, had battled back strongly from a set and a break down to force a decider.
But Raducanu then began to show a lot of discomfort, clutching at her chest and abdomen before calling the trainer two games in.
She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before resuming, and she battled hard to try to turn the match around but Wang held firm to win 6-4 4-6 6-4 after two hours and 55 minutes.
Raducanu confirmed she was ‘getting sick in her mouth’ during the final stages of the match as a stomach bug affected her ambitions, yet Henman believes she needs to find silver linings amid her disappointment.
“I think her level was excellent when she won that second set to go a set all,” said Eurosport and discovery+ pundit Henman.
“You thought that she’d got the momentum, but Wang is a great competitor. Emma had some physical problems.
“Plenty to build on. She’ll be disappointed that she couldn’t find a way to come through that match, but you’d like to think that if there are no injuries, then you don’t get those setbacks and she can build more momentum for the rest of the year.
“She had her blood pressure taken, so it’ll be interesting to hear how she was feeling. Maybe she’d been struggling with her breathing. We heard Jack Draper saying that.
“In the early part of the third set is where they had a couple of really long games and this was when she was down 0-2, and the doctor and physio came on.
“It was looking worrying at this time and I thought that maybe she was looking for the exit, looking to pull out, but she kept fighting well.”
Raducanu missed out on a chance to make a big leap in the WTA rankings after her second round exit at the Australian Open, but she showed real signs of promise in her two matches in Auckland and then in Melbourne.
Despite her disappointment at missing out on a big chance to read the last-32 in the opening Grand Slam of 2024, it seems she is taking Henman’s words of advice as she spoke in upbeat terms about her comeback.
“I’m very positive, very happy with how my body is,” she said after the match.
“I think the wrist in particular was something that I struggled with in the coming back because, yeah, I just had a setback for a few months, so I couldn’t play till late November again really.
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“Now I feel good. Ankle feels good. Yeah, I think if I keep my work consistent, like I said previously, I have a good shot. This is obviously only my first trip back. I think that tidying up some of the areas, tidying up a bit of technique.
“Also just getting used to playing matches outdoors, as well, because the conditions today were very windy.
“I think she handled it a lot better, the wind. She jumbled me. She moon-balled me. She gave me a lot of these scrappy little shots, but it worked.
“Yeah, I need to spend more time on tour, spend more time training, and putting good weeks together.
“I’m feeling very positive. I really just want to play a full season. The encouraging thing is, even though
“I played two back-to-back three-setters in Auckland, a three-setter today, body-wise, strength-wise, I didn’t come up with any random niggles.
“That just happened throughout the match. It was just me throwing up. That’s fine. That’s not normal, but it’s like a one-off.”
Raducanu was asked if she would be available to play the Billie Jean King Cup tie for Great Britain in France next month, but she suggested her priority may be focused elsewhere as she looks to climb the WTA rankings.
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