Emma Raducanu was playing her first Grand Slam in 12 months (Picture: Getty)
Former British No.1 Tim Henman feels Emma Raducanu will be ‘disappointed’ after her Australian Open second-round exit to Wang Yafan on Thursday.
The world No.296, who has only just returned to the WTA Tour after nine months out following three different surgeries, lost to the world No.94 over three sets.
Raducanu went behind but levelled up the match by winning the second set before suffering defeat in the decider after struggles with a stomach bug.
The 21-year-old, who won the US Open three years ago and was ranked world No.10 in 2022, impressed in Auckland before the Grand Slam got underway and produced a first-round win over Shelby Rogers before crashing out to Wang.
Henman feels Raducanu leaves Melbourne Park with her head held high with plenty of silver linings for the Briton, but admits she will be left ‘disappointed’.
‘I think her level was excellent when she won that second set to go a set all,’ Henman told Eurosport.
‘You thought that she’d got the momentum, but Wang is a great competitor. Emma had some physical problems.
Tim Henman says Emma Raducanu was ‘excellent’ in the second set (Picture: Shutterstock)
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‘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. 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.’
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‘She’ll be disappointed.’