Emma Raducanu is happy to comply with whatever demands are made of players competing in the Australian Open but shrugged off suggestions she will be among the favourites for the trophy.
The 18-year-old returned to training in London this week as she turns her attention to building on her spectacular grand slam breakthrough victory at the US Open.
She is yet to announce when she will play next but must decide in the coming days whether to request a wild card into the prestigious WTA Tour event in Indian Wells beginning on October 6.
A strong pre-season is one of Raducanu’s top priorities, after which she will play in just her third grand slam tournament in Melbourne.
The teenager’s extraordinary success in New York has catapulted her straight to the top of the game and she will have to get used to having a target on her back while she is still finding her way on the professional circuit.
Speaking at a Lawn Tennis Association event to celebrate Britain’s US Open champions, Raducanu said: “If I’m seeded, then I’m seeded, but favourite? I think one tournament, you can’t really say I’m a favourite. I’m still so new to everything.
“I just feel like I’m learning and absorbing all the knowledge that I’m gaining like a sponge and soaking it all in. That’s what I really want to do. I’m not focused on results, I’m focused on how much I can learn because that’s what’s really going to drive me forward.”
Organisers are yet to announce plans for the Australian Open but, with entry to the country still heavily restricted and Melbourne having been in lockdown for longer than any other city in the world, players seem certain to have to serve some form of quarantine.
That could mean players having to travel over Christmas, which Raducanu would have no problem with.
She said: “Whatever needs to be done to be able to play the Australian Open, I’ll do. To me it’s not even a thought or like a battle in my mind. I just want to be at the Australian Open, and I want to compete there, so, whatever it takes to do, I’ll go.”
Unlike her final opponent in New York, Leylah Fernandez, Raducanu did not have to beat a top-10 player at Flushing Meadows, with then world number 12 Belinda Bencic the highest-ranked player she has faced in her career so far.
The teenager is eager to test herself against the likes of Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka, saying: “I’m hungry to play anyone and I think that would be a really cool challenge.
“I like to challenge myself and obviously it’s going to be extremely difficult to beat a top-10 player or a player of that quality but I’m up for it and, even if I lose, I think it’d be a great learning (opportunity) just to compare where I’m at to where the best in the world are. So either way for me it would be a win-win.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here