Emma Raducanu confirms sentimental return to tennis court immediately after Australian Open exit

Emma Raducanu may have been knocked out of the Australian Open, but she won’t be out of action for long.

The British women’s number one was sent packing from Melbourne Park after a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 loss in the second round to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova.

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Raducanu’s loss marked the fourth time in five appearances at the Australian Open she had failed to progress from the second round.

It also meant the 28th seed missed out on a potential bumper third round encounter against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

When will Raducanu return to action?

However, Raducanu will look to right the wrongs of her on-court performance when she returns to action at the 2026 Transylvania Open in Romania, which begins on February 1.

Raducanu is the top seed in the women’s singles as she chases her first title since the groundbreaking victory at the 2021 US Open.

The tournament in Cluj is also somewhat of a homecoming for Raducanu given her father, Ion, is from Romania.

Speaking after the defeat, Raducanu conceded she will spend a bit of time away from the court before returning home to England and then jetting off to Cluj.

“I don’t think I’m gonna get straight back on the practice court,” Raducanu said.

“I think I’m gonna take a few days, get back, get back home and try and just re-evaluate my game a bit.

“Right now, I’m signed up to play in Cluj, so hopefully I make it there and it would be good to return to my dad’s home country.

“And I haven’t been back in a few years, so that would be a nice opportunity if I get it.”

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In an intriguing angle, Raducanu could come up against Potapova in Cluj as she is also in the field.

Not only that, Potapova goes into the tournament as the defending champion.

Should Raducanu and Potapova meet again for the second time in a matter of weeks, the Briton vowed to be playing a ‘different way’ from what she displayed in Melbourne.

Raducanu vows to improve playing style

Raducanu partnered with Francisco Roig, who helped Rafael Nadal win 16 of his staggering 22 grand slam titles, prior to the Australian swing.

However, a foot injury reduced the amount of time they were able to work together on the court.

Although Raducanu believes she showed glimpses of the way she wants to play during her brief stint in Melbourne, she knows the wholesale changes to her game won’t come instantly as more work between her and Roig awaits.

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“I think the misalignment with how I’m playing right now and how I want to be playing is something that I just want to work on,” Raducanu said.

“I think there are definitely pockets of me playing how I want to play, and it comes out in flashes, which is a positive, and maybe more than certain times in my career in the last few years.

“But it’s not how I want to be, like, consistently every day. So it’s not going to fall into place straight away, but the more I work on how I want to be playing, it will be more of my identity every time I step onto the court.

“So yeah, I need to work at that, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”