Australian Open: Emma Raducanu 'feeling good' and Andy Murray 'enjoying tennis' ahead of 2024 tournament
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 12/01/2024 at 17:58 GMT
British Grand Slam winners Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray may not expect to challenge for the title at the Australian Open this January, but both of them spoke of their optimism ahead of the first major of the year. Raducanu believes she has no fitness concerns after years of struggle, and Murray feels mentally focused after improving aspects of his game.
'It’s going to take time’ – Raducanu ‘feels good’ but stresses need for patience
Emma Raducanu believes she will be fit for the Australian Open, while Andy Murray believes he has been "fixing some problems" to help his mental approach.
The 21-year-old has struggled for form and fitness ever since her US Open triumph in 2021, and after a string of different coaches and recent operations on her wrists and ankle, she put in an encouraging performance at the Auckland Open last week.
She had suggested she would go on to use exhibition events to stay sharp ahead of the upcoming Grand Slam event, but ultimately decided to pull out of those tournaments and instead focus on her practice.
In Auckland, she defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse before losing to the experienced Elina Svitolina.
"For a few days after the matches I was sore but I've bounced back from that and I'm feeling good now," she said.
"I did a lot of good work in the off-season. But regardless of how good I may feel on the court on a particular day or in practice, getting that level of consistency is going to require more time.
"I've been doing the right work, doing it consistently. I just need to keep going more and more."
As a result of an injury-protected ranking of No. 103, and several higher-ranked players withdrawing from the tournament, Raducanu went into the main draw, meaning she needed neither a wild card or to go through qualifying. She will play America’s Shelby Rogers in her first round match on Monday or Tuesday.
Murray: I feel better on court mentally
While Raducanu appears to have come through the worst of her physical problems, Murray told the press that he is “enjoying tennis better” as he considered the mental demands of the sport.
The former world No. 1 enjoyed a relatively successful 2023 in terms of fitness compared to some of his very worst campaigns, but the veteran lost six of his last nine matches.
However, the 36-year-old appeared refreshed and motivated ahead of the Australian Open, where he has been a losing finalist five times.
"I feel like I'm enjoying [tennis] better," Murray said in his pre-tournament press conference.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2023/12/31/3852922-78291368-2560-1440.jpg)
'I miss playing Novak and Rafa' - Murray yearns for top-level battles
"I think part of that is the mental side of it. Tennis is a difficult game in that respect. When you're struggling, you're out there on your own, it can be difficult at times. Part of it is that.
"The way you're playing, when you know you're capable of doing more than what you are, if you're not happy with the way you're hitting forehands and backhands and serving and those sorts of things, there's the technical aspect as well.
"Fixing some of those problems has helped me feel better on the court. Definitely some focus on the mental side, re-framing the way you look at things definitely helps."
Murray is currently ranked No. 44 in the ATP rankings, and is starting the season with a new coaching duo of Mark Hilton and Jonny O’Mara after he split with Ivan Lendl in November.
- - -
Stream top tennis action, including the 2024 Australian Open, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement