Emma Raducanu opens up on health battles after having blood pressure taken at Australian Open - 'Really weak'

Emma Raducanu opens up on health battles after having blood pressure taken at Australian Open - 'Really weak'

WATCH NOW: Emma Raducanu speaks after winning first round of the Australian Open

Lewis Winter

By Lewis Winter


Published: 18/01/2024

- 12:47

Updated: 18/01/2024

- 13:29

The 21-year-old crashed out of the tournament on Thursday

Emma Raducanu has admitted to feeling 'really weak' during her second round exit at the Australian Open.

The Brit, who was beaten in three sets by China's Wang Yafan, was forced to call the medic during the match due to suffering with a 'bug'.


Raducanu was participating at her first Grand Slam in a year after recovering from ankle and wrist surgery.

She beat American Shelby Rogers in straight sets in the first round in a promising return to major action.

Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu has provided a health update after her Australian Open exit

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However, she came up against a spirited Wang who has now reached the third round of a slam for the first time in her career.

Wang took the first set 6-4 against a below-par Raducanu.

The 29-year-old threatened to run away with the match, breaking in the first game of the second set and having another break point to go 3-0 up.

Raducanu fought back and picked up two breaks of her own to level the match at 1-1.

But she started feeling unwell early in the decider and received attention from the medics, having her blood pressure checked by the side of the court.

Raducanu didn't give in but was clearly struggling, especially between points, and took advantage to see out the win 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Speaking in her post-match press conference, she revealed she is now feeling better but was sick after the match.

Raducanu said: "Now I feel a little bit better. During the match, I'd say in the third set I was 30-Love up serving.

"Then all of a sudden, I just felt so sick, just really weak and nauseous.

"Throughout the third set, I think everyone could see it was a bit of a battle.

"Like physically, body-wise, I felt fine. It was more that I was throwing up in my mouth.

"Then after the match, it came out. Now I'm okay.

"Yeah, I'll get over it. It just sucks with the timing. I felt good. I felt fine. Yeah, I just had a bit of a bug."

Raducanu has been through her fair share of injury and fitness issues in the last couple of years.

She was determined not to withdraw despite how poorly she was feeling.

She added: "Honestly I've been in that situation before in matches, whether it was with illness or injury, and retired a few times.

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Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu was in better spirits in her post-match press conference

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"I think, to be honest, with what I went through last year, you feel awful right now, 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. She served it out.

"I think the last year off and also just with the amount of niggles and everything that I had, the setbacks, it did make me a lot tougher."

Raducanu is determined to see this week as a success despite crashing out early.

Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu struggled through the third set

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She said: "I'm feeling very positive. I really just want to play a full season.

"The encouraging thing is, even though I played two back-to-back three-setters in Auckland, a three-setter today, body-wise, strength-wise, I didn't come up with any random niggles.

"That just happened throughout the match. It was just me throwing up.

"That's fine. That's not normal, but it's like a one-off."

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