Cameron Norrie dispelled injury worries to ease into the second round of the Australian Open.
The British number one pulled out of the ASB Classic in Auckland, the city where he grew up, last week ahead of his quarter-final because of a left wrist problem.
Norrie admitted he was concerned with so little time to recover but there were no causes for alarm in a 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory over Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas as he became the first British winner of the fortnight.
It was a kind draw for Norrie, although 81st-ranked Varillas did push Alexander Zverev to five sets in the first round here last year before going on to make the fourth round of the French Open.
Norrie looked a little tentative to start with but settled into a rhythm of lengthy baseline rallies and finally took his sixth opportunity to break serve in the fifth game.
The 19th seed took full control of the contest in the second set, finding more penetration on his groundstrokes and opening up a 5-1 lead.
Varillas fought back with three games in a row but Norrie served it out at the second time of asking and was untroubled in the third.
Andy Murray admitted he may well have played his last Australian Open match after a tame defeat by Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round.
The former world number one was beaten 6-4 6-2 6-2 by the 30th seed and was left mulling over his future in the sport.
Naomi Osaka’s grand slam comeback lasted only one match, the two-time champion beaten by an impressive Caroline Garcia, while Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova is also out.
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There will be a familiar name in the boys’ singles at Melbourne Park. Fifteen-year-old Cruz Hewitt, son of former world number one Lleyton, has been awarded a wild card.
Drinking it all in
The Australian Open is known for its innovations, which this year include a bar overlooking Court Six.
Dubbed the ‘party court’, it is likely to meet with mixed reviews from players.
France’s Arthur Rinderknech said it was like “playing in a nightclub” after his five-set loss to Pavel Kotov.
Fan friction
Another change is the decision to let fans into stadiums at the end of each game rather than only at changes of ends.
Novak Djokovic was left in two minds after being distracted during his win over Dino Prizmic, while learning of the new rule bizarrely led Australian Jordan Thompson to decry the event as the “wokest tournament ever”.
Fallen seeds
Women: Marketa Vondrousova (7), Ekaterina Alexandrova (17), Donna Vekic (21), Anastasia Potapova (23), Anhelina Kalinina (24), Marie Bouzkova (31)
Men: Nicolas Jarry (18)
Who’s up next?
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Emma Raducanu makes her grand slam return against American Shelby Rogers on Tuesday evening.
The remaining four British players in the singles draws – 19th seed Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter – also begin their campaigns.
Iga Swiatek plays former champion Sofia Kenin in the first match on Rod Laver Arena while Carlos Alcaraz takes on veteran Richard Gasquet in the night session.
Andy Murray admitted the window on his career is closing and that a meek loss to Tomas Martin Etcheverry may have been his last Australian Open match.
The five-time finalist was outplayed in a 6-4 6-2 6-2 defeat that was a far cry from his glory days and he looked emotional as he gave a lingering wave to all sides of Kia Arena.
It was only Murray’s second opening-round loss at Melbourne Park in the last 16 years, with the other coming five years ago against Roberto Bautista Agut after the Scot had revealed that hip problems could mean the end of his career.
Surgery and a gruelling recovery process has given him a commendable post-script, but Murray did not dispute that this much more low-key exit could signal his final goodbye.
He said: “It’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. I think probably because of how the match went and everything. While you’re playing the match, you’re obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything.
“When you’re one point away from the end, you’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is over so quickly, and like this’.
“In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it’s the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. I wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played and all of that stuff. (It’s a) tough, tough way to finish.”
Murray admitted at the end of last season he was not enjoying tennis, and it is increasingly hard to see him finding the sort of performances and results that will bring the joy back.
This was his fourth defeat in a row dating back to October and he has lost seven of his last eight matches – the worst run of his career.
At the Australian Open last year, Murray conjured two of the more memorable occasions with five-set wins over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis, and there was optimism he could achieve the sort of results he has been striving for.
The 36-year-old is now struggling to hold on to that belief, saying: “I know in the last week, 10 days, how well I was playing against the best players in the world. That’s why it’s so frustrating that on the match court it’s not there.
“I’ve been telling myself that at some stage it will. But obviously when you have performances like today, or a batch of results over a period of time like I have done, it’s tough to keep believing in that.”
Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to retire, but he admitted that date could be brought forward.
He added: “I know that Tomas is a really, really good player. I’m aware of that. Even if I play well today, I can still lose the match. It’s just the nature of the performance that makes you question things.
“I haven’t gained in belief from today’s match that at some stage I’m going to start playing really well again or winning tournaments or getting to the latter stages of major events.
“Last year was a slightly different story. Physically I held up well against two really good players. It’s a very different situation sitting here. So the timeframe narrows a little bit for me to get to a level that I want to be at.
“I’ve spoken to my family about it. I’ve spoken to my team about it. They’re very aware of how I feel about things, where I would like to finish playing, when that would be.
“I haven’t made any definite decisions on that. It’s obviously something that I need to think about and see exactly when that is.”
Murray and Etcheverry shared two close matches last season and the Scot knew to expect long, punishing rallies from the baseline.
There was little to choose between them in the first set, with Murray missing one chance to lead 4-2 when a lob fell short before Etcheverry broke.
Murray’s serve misfired from the start and his groundstrokes became increasingly wayward as the hopes of the former world number one and the supportive crowd faded away.
Jack Draper has more confidence in his game and his body than his new Australian Open look.
The 22-year-old goes into his first-round clash with American Marcos Giron on Tuesday as the form British player having reached his second consecutive ATP Tour final at the Adelaide International last week.
Draper was hugely frustrated to miss out on silverware again, this time to Czech Jiri Lehecka, but his will be a name other players in the draw are hoping to avoid.
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There is no missing Draper’s new skin fade hair cut, though, for which he is expecting mixed reviews.
“I went to Adelaide with it, and I was saying to my coach, ‘Everyone’s going to be looking at me’,” said Draper.
“And then it turns out everyone in the city had the same haircut. I might get a few more fans here because of it. I like to be different and express myself. I think that’s part of tennis, expressing your game on the court.
“Some people might say it’s atrocious. But I’d say it’s bold, isn’t it? I saw a barber last week in Adelaide. And they did it and my coach was like, ‘It looks like they faded it much better, it looks good’.
“I said to him, ‘It’s not bold enough’. So I went to a Turkish barbers here and you know they’ll do the job all right.”
It is no surprise to see Draper making waves on the main tour. After an injury-disrupted 2023, he ended the year by reaching his first final in Sofia and he backed that up in Adelaide.
His run included an epic victory over Miomir Kecmanovic, who he lost to at the Davis Cup in November, in three hours and 39 minutes, as well as a much more straightforward one against 14th-ranked Tommy Paul.
He led Lehecka by a set in the final before the Czech fought back, but Draper, who reached the fourth round of the US Open last summer, headed to Melbourne in a buoyant mood.
“I had a great week,” he said. “I played a lot of tennis. My second-round match was a really long one and then to back up those performances again against top players was great.
“Obviously I came up short in the final, I was very frustrated about that. But it’s part of the journey. I’m doing a lot of great things on the court. I’m improving all the time, I think. I’ve just got to keep going. And it gives me a lot of confidence that I’m able to go deeper in these tournaments now.”
Most top players do not like playing a lot of matches the week before a grand slam but Draper is confident in the physical improvements he has made under new trainer Steve Kotze.
“I’m really pushing my boundaries,” he said. “And I think the main thing is that maybe in the years past I was a bit softer and I didn’t want to fully do the work. Whereas I’ve had enough experiences where there’s no hiding from it and I’ve really embraced what I’m trying to do.
“I’m as ready as I can be for this slam. I feel really good about my tennis and about my body and my mental side of things and where I’m at. So I’m really excited to get started here.”
Coco Gauff eased into the second round of the Australian Open but Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was an early casualty.
The Czech seventh seed, a surprise winner at the All England Club last summer, won only three games in a 6-1 6-2 thumping by Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska.
The 23-year-old spoke afterwards about the inspiration she takes from the bravery of people in her war-torn homeland, saying: “I’m very proud of Ukraine, proud of the people, proud of the warriors and just the civilians.
“When I was in Brisbane, before my match the rocket arrived on my grandmother’s house so it was pretty hard to play, but I think we just need to remember about it and give as much support as possible to Ukraine. I’m proud to be Ukrainian.”
Vondrousova reached the quarter-finals of the US Open but has otherwise struggled since defeating Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final.
She made 19 unforced errors while the big-hitting Yastremska racked up 26 winners.
Gauff opened proceedings on Rod Laver Arena on the second day of the tournament for her first grand slam match since she lifted the US Open trophy in September.
And she brushed aside Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0 in exactly an hour, winning nine games in a row to set up a second-round clash with countrywoman Caroline Dolehide.
“I felt good,” said the 19-year-old, who was been working on her serve with former world number one Andy Roddick.
“I was a little bit nervous coming in today. Probably you could tell. I was able to just calm down and then play, not my best, but good tennis from that point.”
There was more success for Ukraine on the 1573 Arena, where 19th seed Elina Svitolina, who missed last year’s tournament following the birth of daughter Skai, saw off Australian wild card Taylah Preston 6-2 6-2.
Croatian teenager Dino Prizmic marked himself out as a name for the future by pushing Novak Djokovic in a four-hour contest at the Australian Open.
The first ever Sunday start at Melbourne Park saw one of its most memorable opening-round matches, with Djokovic finally beating the 18-year-old qualifier 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4.
Women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka followed Djokovic on court and swatted aside Ella Seidel 6-0 6-1 but there was disappointment for Britain’s Jodie Burrage, who lost in three sets to Tamara Korpatsch.
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Andre Agassi has not been seen much around the tennis circuit since retirement, bar a short stint coaching Djokovic, but the four-time former champion is back at Melbourne Park, where he spotted a very familiar face.
LongevityFallen seeds
Women: Liudmila Samsonova (13), Magda Linette (20), Wang Xinyu (30)
Men: None
Who’s up next?
Andy Murray begins his campaign on Monday against Argentinian 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Naomi Osaka’s return to grand slam tennis is last in the night session on Rod Laver Arena against 16th seed Caroline Garcia after big home hope Alex De Minaur takes on Milos Raonic.
US Open champion Coco Gauff and former Melbourne finalists Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also in action.
Aryna Sabalenka began the defence of her Australian Open title with a 53-minute drubbing of German teenager Ella Seidel.
The second seed was made to wait until nearly midnight by Novak Djokovic’s battle with Dino Prizmic but her encounter with an 18-year-old qualifier could not have been more different.
Sabalenka dropped only 10 points in the first set and had two match points for a double bagel before completing a 6-0 6-1 victory on Rod Laver Arena.
“I’m super happy to be back in Melbourne,” said the Belarusian, who lifted her first slam silverware 12 months ago. “Last time I had incredible memories from here, unforgettable I would say. It feels so great to be back and feel the support.”
Caroline Wozniacki’s first match at Melbourne Park for four years ended prematurely when opponent Magda Linette, a semi-finalist here last year, withdrew trailing 6-2 2-0.
Wozniacki won her only grand slam title in Australia in 2018 and retired following a third-round loss two years later before having two children and then coming out of retirement last summer.
“I feel very comfortable playing here,” said the Dane. “I feel comfortable with the ball. I feel very just thrilled to be here. Immediately when I stepped foot on these courts, in this arena, I felt right at home. I think it’s a special place for me and always will be.”
American Amanda Anisimova is another player on the comeback trail having stepped away from the tour last May over concerns for her mental health.
The 22-year-old, who first reached the fourth round here five years ago, did not pick up a racket for four months but has returned rejuvenated and pulled off the upset of the day by defeating 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-3 6-4.
“I’m just here for the journey right now and seeing how much I can progress,” she said. “I think I would take it with whatever outcome I would get. But I am happy with the wins, and I really hope that I can build on from it.
“The most important thing is that I feel a lot more refreshed. I’m enjoying practising. I’m enjoying every second that I’m out there. Even when I was down today, I was still just enjoying the challenge.
“I’m just happy with how I feel coming back. I feel like I was very burned out while I was playing, and that really wasn’t a nice feeling.”
Also through to the second round are a pair of 16-year-olds in Russian Alina Korneeva, last year’s junior champion, and Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova.
The most heralded 16-year-old in the current game, Mirra Andreeva, will join them if she can win her opening match on Monday.
Novak Djokovic was given a scare by Croatian teenager Dino Prizmic in the longest first-round match of his grand slam career.
The world number one is a big favourite to win an 11th title at Melbourne Park, where he has not lost since 2018, but he dropped the second set as 18-year-old Prizmic showed what makes him a major talent for the future.
The qualifier was briefly a break up in the third set and kept battling after Djokovic stepped things up before the defending champion finally clinched a 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-4 victory on his seventh match point after four hours and one minute.
The signs did not look good for Prizmic when he dropped his opening service game and then took a medical time-out at 2-3 for treatment to his left groin.
He already had tape on his right arm and could find nothing to hurt Djokovic in the first set, but things began to change early in the second.
Djokovic won a staggering 17 of his 19 tie-breaks at grand slams in 2023, including 15 in a row from the second round in Melbourne to the Wimbledon final, but here he played a very poor one and suddenly what had seemed a straightforward occasion became anything but.
Djokovic, who was dabbing his brow and puffing his cheeks, was making a lot of uncharacteristic errors and Prizmic fought back from 2-0 down in the third set to lead by a break at 3-2.
There was concern on the face Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic, who was among the spectators watching his countryman Prizmic’s run to the French Open junior title last year.
Djokovic ultimately found a way through, but the 36-year-old’s rivals will have been watching closely.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev was hugely relieved after edging past Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild in a fifth-set tie-break.
Rublev had in his mind his good friend Daniil Medvedev’s exit to Seyboth Wild at the same stage of the French Open last summer and he trailed 4-1 in the deciding tie-break after seeing a two-set lead and then four match points come and go.
But Rublev fought his way back to clinch a 7-5 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6 (10/6) victory after three hours and 42 minutes.
Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini was a casualty without taking to the court, the Italian pulling out as his injury woes continued.
Berrettini had been due to face Stefanos Tsitsipas on Rod Laver Arena on Monday in one of the plum ties of the first round.
But on Sunday afternoon tournament organisers announced he had withdrawn with a right foot injury, making it the fourth time in the last eight grand slam tournaments where he has not been able to play a match.
Berrettini has been replaced in the draw by Belgian lucky loser Zizou Bergs, who will take on Tsitsipas.
Fourth seed Jannik Sinner, one of the favourites for the title following his stellar end to 2023, began his campaign with a straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp.
Sinner, who beat Djokovic twice in a matter of days at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup in November, was a 6-4 7-5 6-3 winner on Rod Laver Arena.
The Italian did not play a warm-up tournament after his late finish to last season and he said: “I feel like I started off actually really well for the first match.
“Then after I had some moments where I made a couple of wrong choices, but this can happen. It was important today for me because I was looking forward to stepping on the court.”
Twelfth seed Taylor Fritz was twice a set down to Facundo Diaz Acosta and needed treatment after rolling his ankle but recovered to claim a 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-4 victory.
Former finalist Marin Cilic played his first grand slam match since the US Open in 2022 following knee surgery but was beaten in four sets by Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
Jodie Burrage was left frustrated by a lengthy toilet break taken by opponent Tamara Korpatsch and her own inability to prevent a collapse on her Australian Open debut.
The British number two admitted it was “panic stations” as the first-round match slipped away from her at Melbourne Park.
Burrage dominated the first set against her German opponent but Korpatsch, who was beaten by Emma Raducanu in the first round here 12 months ago, turned things around after heading to the bathroom and eventually ran away with a 2-6 6-3 6-0 defeat.
The tactical use of toilet breaks has been a hot topic in recent seasons, and players now only have three minutes, but that does not count the time walking to and from the court.
“I’m not sure why it was so long,” said Burrage. “I did ask (the umpire), and he said, ‘Yes, she’s used her three minutes, she’s just on her way back’. But then that took another few minutes. I get that it’s a big park, though, so maybe it just took a long time for her to get there.
“You’ve just got to keep playing matches and get used to how you want to deal with when your opponent is changing up the rhythm of it and trying to disrupt your rhythm, which is what she did in the second and third (sets) because it seemed like every change it was something different, whether it was her shoe or her rackets or towel.”
Burrage earned her spot in the main draw here for the first time after breaking into the top 100 last season and she played with confidence and purpose to take the opening set as the year’s first grand slam made its maiden Sunday start.
But, as Korpatsch steadied and the wind picked up, Burrage’s unforced error count began to rise.
She had her chances in the second set but could not take them and the third quickly ran away from her in a slew of mistakes.
Burrage was left with plenty to mull over, principally how to feel like she belongs at the top level and how to make her game more robust.
“I found it tough to serve in that wind and just my game in general,” said the 24-year-old, who lost twice to Korpatsch last season.
“I tried to adjust as much as possible but, when you hit a bigger ball I guess and don’t grind it out, when it gets windy, it’s not as easy to play, but that’s just what I need to learn to do. I need to learn to have a bit of a plan B because there was no plan B there today.
“When someone just stops missing and puts balls in court, it’s not easy to have the confidence to hit through them. I need to learn how to back myself on the court because at the moment I don’t in those situations.
“You could see it today. It was just absolutely panic stations at some point. So that’s what all of these experiences and being at this level and hitting with these types of players, you just get more experiences like that.
“I can play at a high level. It’s just getting it for two hours instead of 45 minutes.”
Matteo Berrettini pulled out of the Australian Open without playing a match as his injury woes continued.
The former Wimbledon finalist had been due to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round on Rod Laver Arena on Monday in one of the plum ties of the first round.
But on Sunday afternoon the tournament announced he had withdrawn with a right foot injury, making it the fourth time in the last eight grand slam tournaments where he has not been able to play a match.
The popular Italian, a semi-finalist in Melbourne in 2022, has been off the tour since suffering an ankle injury during his second-round match against Arthur Rinderknech at the US Open.
He had previously missed the French Open because of an abdominal injury, while in 2022 he also sat out Roland Garros following hand surgery and then tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of Wimbledon.
Once ranked as high as world number six, the 27-year-old, beaten by Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in 2021, is now down at 125.
He has been replaced in the draw by Belgian lucky loser Zizou Bergs, who will take on Tsitsipas on Monday.
Fourth seed Jannik Sinner, one of the favourites for the title following his stellar end to 2023, began his campaign with a straight-sets win over Botic Van De Zandschulp.
Sinner, who beat Djokovic twice in a matter of days at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup in November, was a 6-4 7-5 6-3 winner on Rod Laver Arena.
The Italian did not play a warm-up tournament after his late finish to last season, and he said: “I feel like I started off actually really well for the first match.
“Then after, I had some moments where I made a couple of wrong choices, but this can happen. Even if you made maybe some matches, this can happen. Maybe you are a little bit tired sometimes.
“It was important today for me because I was looking forward to stepping on the court.”
Former finalist Marin Cilic played his first grand slam match since the US Open in 2022 following knee surgery but was beaten in four sets by Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
Jodie Burrage was unable to build on a good start as her Australian Open debut ended with a first-round loss to German Tamara Korpatsch.
Burrage earned her spot in the main draw for the first time with a strong year in 2023 and she played with confidence and purpose to take the opening set as the year’s first grand slam made its maiden Sunday start.
But, as Korpatsch steadied, Burrage’s unforced error count began to rise and it was the German who came through 2-6 6-3 6-0.
The pair had met twice in the closing months of last season, with Korpatsch winning both, but Burrage knew she had the power advantage and she used it well in the first set.
The 24-year-old served strongly and seized on her opponent’s weaker delivery to break twice.
She was in the ascendancy again to start the second set but Korpatsch hung on and the momentum began to swing as the German, who had looked uncomfortable and unsettled, asked Burrage more questions.
The British number two had chances to get back on serve at the end of the second but could not take them and the decider quickly ran away from her in a slew of errors.
Holger Rune believes he should be considered among the favourites to win a grand slam in 2024.
The 20-year-old Dane enjoyed a strong campaign last year, winning one title and reaching the finals of the Masters in Rome and Monte-Carlo.
Rune got this season off to a good start too, reaching the final of the Brisbane International, which he lost in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov.
World number eight Rune will be aiming to go one further at the Australian Open, with his campaign starting against Yoshihito Nishioka.
While Opta's predictive model gives Rune just a one per cent chance of going all the way in Melbourne, he is confident he can claim his maiden major title this year.
"I believe that I am a contender to win a grand slam next year," he told Stats Perform.
"It's going to take a lot of work, but I've sacrificed a lot and I'm trusting the process every day and coming out of my comfort zone.
"Every practice is physical and trying to improve mentally also so if I do better next year it won't surprise me."
It is not just the four majors on the cards this season, but a potential medal at the Paris Olympics.
Rune added: "Yeah, it's going to be a very exciting season. There's a lot of chances next year for grand slams, for the Olympics, and I'm going to go for it.
"I'm going to go to every tournament that I can.
"[The Olympics mean] a lot, everything. With the grand slams, it's the biggest thing in tennis. It's every fourth year, so it's very rare.
"I think if you ask me whether I'd rather win a grand slam or the Olympics, I think I'll still say a grand slam, but the second thing I would say is the Olympics. It's a massive event."
Boris Becker would not rule out Andy Murray appearing at the Australian Open in 2025.
Murray will make his 16th appearance in the main draw at Melbourne Park on Monday when he faces 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round.
It was five years ago at the 2019 Australian Open when three-time grand-slam champion Murray contemplated retirement and a highlights montage shown after his round-one exit appeared to signal the end of his career.
Surgery to resurface his hip followed and while it has enabled the five-time Australian Open runner-up to continue playing well into his thirties, the Scot cut a frustrated figure at the end of 2023.
But Becker had little concern over Murray not appearing in Australia again.
“Well, I would never rule Andy out,” Eurosport pundit Becker insisted. “As long as he has fun, as long as he enjoys it and as long as he has success, he will continue.
“I was worried a couple of years ago when he did the press conference and said it was most likely his last one because it was before his surgery so he didn’t know if he would come back.
“We moved past that and I think he is physically fit enough, but obviously the tennis circuit doesn’t sleep and Andy doesn’t get younger either.
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“Those 22-years-old are now those 24-years-olds and Andy is 36 so the clock is ticking.
“I am sure he will do well this year., I am sure he is aiming for a successful Wimbledon and he’ll take it from there.”
At the other end of the spectrum, British number four Jack Draper will aim to make his mark in Melbourne after an injury-hit past campaign.
Draper, 22, recently beat Becker’s protege Holger Rune to win the UTS event in London last month and earned praise from the six-time grand-slam winner.
Becker said: “Look, an unbelievable talent. You can see he loves the competition, he loves tennis, he loves to be out there, but he had some injury problems last year, so he couldn’t play as much as he wanted to.
“He is a big guy, a powerful guy and he needs to address his body. He needs to be longer in the shape he is right now.
“I don’t know him and I don’t know his group of people too well, so I don’t how much he trains on and off the court, but what I could tell is that physically he struggled last year and that is the foundation of a successful tennis player.
“I am sure he learned his lessons, I am sure he had a good winter. I saw the result in Adelaide, he looked fit. I am sure they have done a lot of off-court training and I wish him luck.
“Great Britain needs good, young players. You have got Wimbledon around the corner, you have the Queens tournament so you want your local heroes to be successful there.”
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Emma Raducanu was left unable to do simple tasks after three surgeries last spring, but the 21-year-old believes the enforced break from tennis could be the making of her.
Coping with the instant global fame and expectations that accompanied her remarkable US Open victory in 2021 proved very difficult for Raducanu, who had slipped outside the top 100 when she revealed she needed operations on both wrists and one ankle.
The recovery has not been straightforward, with the Kent player finally able to make her comeback last week in Auckland after eight months on the sidelines.
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She cut a noticeably more relaxed and happy figure, and she told the PA news agency: “I would say I would take the place that I’m in now mentally and physically and trade it for the past eight months on the tour.
“Missing that time, it obviously was really difficult in the moment, and seeing the tournaments go on, but I would have done it again if I had to.”
Raducanu spoke on Friday about feeling like she was carrying around a “backpack of rocks” as she tried to build on her history-making success.
“It was like it was glued on,” she added. “I think now it’s completely off, I feel good, I feel better and ready to take this second chance at being on the tour again.”
Now able to look back and reflect on the decisions she has made since lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu’s one regret is not giving herself more time.
A swift loss in her opening match in Indian Wells at her next tournament set the tone for a year and a half of struggle.
“I probably would have taken some more time off to rest and then to train because I feel like I had a lot of things straight after the US Open and then Indian Wells was right around the corner, so I kind of rushed straight into it with minimal practice and it was a bit of a spiral from there,” she said.
Coincidentally, Raducanu’s grand slam return at the Australian Open on Tuesday will be against American Shelby Rogers, whom she beat in the fourth round in New York.
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Rogers is also coming off a period of inactivity after knee surgery, an abdominal injury and a December wedding.
The 31-year-old is not surprised that time away has helped Raducanu’s mindset, saying: “I think sometimes it’s difficult to keep that perspective week to week.
“Especially if you don’t have your identity rooted somewhere outside of tennis, you’re sort of living and dying with wins and losses. It can be really difficult.
“It’s really nice to hear that she’s feeling refreshed and has that perspective again. I think it’s really important for especially the younger players to keep that.”
Accompanying Raducanu in Melbourne is new coach Nick Cavaday, who she originally worked with a decade ago.
Raducanu has returned to the tour with a determination to play her aggressive game style having felt she had unintentionally moved away from that.
Much has been made of the frequent changes in her coaching set-up, and she said: “I think it’s different styles of training, different styles of coaching. I think I play my best when I’m instinctive and free, and to be able to do that I need to put the time in on the practice court.
“I felt like I was chasing my tail a bit from tournament to tournament, and I wasn’t really doing the blocks of work in between, so I think just pausing and doing those physical things and on the practice court is something I’m going to do more of this year.
“With Nick, we both are very much aligned with how we see my tennis and my potential but potential is one thing so we have to do the work. I’m looking forward to doing it with him to get there. I need to be aggressive but find a balance, not just being a bull in a china shop.”
Coaching instability and Raducanu’s commercial activities have been central to the criticism that has rained down on her post-US Open.
Raducanu’s career continues to attract significant attention from far beyond the tennis world, and she said with a smile: “I guess I should feel flattered that they’re speaking about me.
“I think it affected me more straight after when I was a bit younger. Now I think I’m getting more and more immunised to it the more it goes on.”
The first British player in action on Sunday will be Jodie Burrage, who is making her debut in the main draw and will face German Tamara Korpatsch.
Novak Djokovic is optimistic his wrist problems are behind him as he prepares to start his bid for an 11th Australian Open title.
The world number one was hampered by a right wrist issue during an uncharacteristic loss to Alex De Minaur playing for Serbia at the United Cup earlier this month.
But he has been practising this week at Melbourne Park, and said ahead of a first-round clash with Croatian teenager Dino Prizmic on Sunday: “My wrist is good.
“I had time from the last match against De Minaur in the United Cup to my first match here to recover. I’ve been training well. Practice sessions pain-free so far. It’s all looking good. Let’s see how it goes.”
Djokovic is no stranger to injuries in Melbourne, with an abdominal problem almost derailing him in 2021, while he played through last year’s tournament with a hamstring issue.
He still won the title on both occasions, and he said of the wrist: “It’s not as bad as some other injuries I had here – 2021 and last year I had worse injuries that I had to deal with.
“I can’t predict whether it’s going to come back. Once I start playing more matches, stress levels go higher. I don’t know. We have to find out.”
At 36, Djokovic remains as dominant as ever, falling only one match short of a calendar Grand Slam in 2023.
This year once again offers the chance for a Golden Slam, with a first Olympic gold medal in Paris an obvious target, while another victory in Melbourne would make him the first player ever to win 25 slam singles titles.
“It’s no secret that I verbalise my goals and I say clearly that I want to win every slam that I play in,” said the Serbian.
“It’s no different this year. I’m just hoping I can start the season in a way that I have been starting my seasons, most of my seasons, throughout my career: with a win here in Australia, in Melbourne.
“My favourite place, no doubt. The court where I’ve done great things and achieved my greatest grand slam results.
“I hope that I’m going to be able to, if not play at the level that I did last year, then be very close to that, because that was one of the best tennis levels that I’ve ever played, here in Australia last year.
“The season is so long. Grand slams, Olympics, those are the big goals. I have to see how it goes here and think about everything else when it comes around the corner.”
Djokovic continues to hold back the next generation single-handed, with only Carlos Alcaraz managing to get the better of him at the slams last year in a brilliant Wimbledon final.
The Spaniard, who missed last year’s Australian Open with a leg injury, leads Djokovic’s likely challengers along with fellow young gun Jannik Sinner.
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Alcaraz is already eyeing a potential final battle against Djokovic, saying: “It’s an extra motivation for me. I’m an ambitious guy. Obviously it’s a good test, playing against him in the places or in the tournament that he’s almost unbeaten.
“I’m looking for reaching the final and hopefully playing a final against him. It would be great, obviously.”
Alcaraz will have to do it, though, without his long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is back home in Spain recuperating from knee surgery.
Alcaraz, who plays veteran Richard Gasquet in round one, is being guided here by Ferrero’s former coach Samuel Lopez, and he said: “It’s tough not being with him. Obviously he travels to almost 100 per cent of the tournaments. It’s going to be difficult to approach a big tournament without him.
“I have Sam with me that is a great coach as well. I trust him. I believe in him. Juan Carlos as well. I think I can learn a lot from him.”
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