Emma Raducanu's Australian Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Wednesday as she fell to world No 55 Anastasia Potapova in straight sets, losing 7-6, 6-2 in the second round.
The British No 1, seeded 28th for the tournament, revealed she had seriously considered withdrawing from the event altogether after a foot injury hampered her off-season preparations.
"I didn't even know at the beginning if I would be coming to Australia, so it's a positive in that sense," Raducanu said following her defeat.
The 2021 US Open champion acknowledged she needed to remain "pragmatic" about her exit given the circumstances surrounding her build-up to Melbourne.
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When Raducanu touched down in Australia at the beginning of January, she had not completed any proper practice points, with her pre-season work restricted largely to gym sessions and static hitting drills.
"I would say January 1 when I came out here, I hadn't moved, I hadn't even done a two-cross, one-line drill. I hadn't moved from my half of the court," she explained.
The 23-year-old noted that completing four or five matches in Australia would have seemed "pretty surprising" from a physical standpoint given her limited preparation.
Emma Raducanu's Australian Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Wednesday as she fell to world No 55 Anastasia Potapova in straight sets, losing 7-6, 6-2 in the second round
|GETTY
"I think having to learn and having to get the feel through matches is something that's really difficult and not something that I really want to be doing," she admitted, though she expressed no regrets about competing at the Grand Slam.
Raducanu suffered minor bone bruising in her right foot during the off-season, describing her return to competitive action as a "steep ramp-up."
"I've been managing it each day. It's not 100 per cent, but I've made peace with that," she said.
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Emma Raducanu has admitted she nearly didn't play at the Australian Open this year
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The Briton plans to have her foot reassessed now her Melbourne campaign has concluded, to determine whether she needs to reduce the load on it.
Despite the injury concerns, she noted her physical condition had actually improved over recent weeks even as her match workload increased.
"Considering how it was going at the end of last year, I really didn't know if I was going to come to Australia," she said.
"So to be feeling this way after five matches physically, it's a positive."
Rather than returning immediately to training, Raducanu intends to take several days off upon arriving home to reassess her approach to the game.
She is scheduled to compete at the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj during early February, which holds personal significance as it would mark a return to her father's home country after several years away.
Five facts for tennis fans | GETTY/PAThe Briton's primary focus, however, is rediscovering her on-court identity.
"At the end of the day, I just want to hit the ball, like, to the corners and hard," she said.
"I need to just work on, you know, playing in a way more similar to how I was playing when I was younger."
Raducanu expressed a desire to return to her earlier aggressive approach, taking the ball early and changing direction decisively rather than relying on variety.