Emma Raducanu insisted there was no chance she would retire from her Australian Open second-round match Thursday despite a sudden bout of illness.
The 21-year-old was knocked out in the second round after a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 defeat by China’s Yafan Wang, a near three-hour tussle that took its decisive turn at the start of the final set.
Raducanu looked like she was about to be sick on court and had to have her blood pressure checked by a doctor. Afterwards the Brit said: ‘In the third set, I was 30-0 up serving. Then all of a sudden I just felt so sick, just weak and nauseous. Throughout the third set I think everyone could see it was a bit of a battle.
‘Body-wise, I felt fine. It was more I was throwing up in my mouth. It sucks with the timing.’
Raducanu is not the only Brit to have succumbed to sickness in Melbourne. Jack Draper vomited into a courtside bin after his first-round victory and later suggested it was due to ‘psychological stress’. Raducanu said that was not the case with her on Thursday, though.
Emma Raducanu was knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round by Yafan Wang
The former US Open winner struggled with illness throughout the three-hour battle
Raducanu has paid tribute to Mail Sport’s legendary tennis correspondent Mike Dickson
‘No way, because I won the second set,’ she said. ‘I was feeling good about my tennis. I would say I felt physically good. Mentally, I don’t know why, I felt really composed the entire time. I think I just had a bit of a stomach bug beforehand.
‘I’ve been in that situation before in matches, whether it was with illness or injury, and retired a few times. At some points I couldn’t really see the ball very well, but I think with everything I went through last year, it’s made me so much tougher. There was no way I was going to pull out. She was going to have to beat me and she did.’
As well as Raducanu, Draper and Katie Boulter also departed the Australian Open to leave Cameron Norrie as the last Brit standing in the singles draws in Melbourne.
Though disappointed, Raducanu said she felt ‘more confident than ever’ as she continues her comeback.
‘I feel good,’ she added. ‘She jumbled me. She moonballed me. She gave me a lot of these scrappy little shots, but it worked. I need to spend more time on tour, spend more time training and putting good weeks together.
‘There were doubts about whether I would be able to make the Australian Open trip. To be here is a bonus, a good starting point. The way I’m committing to my movement, committing to my training and tennis, I’ve got no fear with it. I feel more confident than ever.’