Emma Raducanu, the British number one tennis player, has expressed her disappointment with the scheduling of her Australian Open first-round match. The 23-year-old, who is seeded at a major for the first time in over three years, will face Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Sunday night in Melbourne.
Raducanu believes that playing a late-night match after a potential five-set match makes little sense and affects her preparation. She was only in Melbourne on Saturday after reaching the quarter-finals of a warm-up tournament in Hobart, where she suffered a delayed flight. Now, she is expected to face Sawangkaew under tight time constraints.
Raducanu has questioned the logic behind the scheduling, saying it's "very difficult" and that she would have preferred more time to practice and adjust to the late-night conditions. Although she acknowledges that complaining about the situation won't help, her concerns are valid given the short turnaround between matches in tennis.
The Australian Open often features late-night matches, but sports scientists stress the importance of not romanticizing them due to their potential impact on player health and performance. Raducanu's experience will likely be an opportunity for her to adapt to such situations and improve her endurance over time.
As she begins the 2026 Australian Open, Raducanu faces a significant challenge in managing her energy levels and focus in such an environment. Despite her struggles, the young player remains committed to her training regimen and is determined to make the most of her experience.
Raducanu believes that playing a late-night match after a potential five-set match makes little sense and affects her preparation. She was only in Melbourne on Saturday after reaching the quarter-finals of a warm-up tournament in Hobart, where she suffered a delayed flight. Now, she is expected to face Sawangkaew under tight time constraints.
Raducanu has questioned the logic behind the scheduling, saying it's "very difficult" and that she would have preferred more time to practice and adjust to the late-night conditions. Although she acknowledges that complaining about the situation won't help, her concerns are valid given the short turnaround between matches in tennis.
The Australian Open often features late-night matches, but sports scientists stress the importance of not romanticizing them due to their potential impact on player health and performance. Raducanu's experience will likely be an opportunity for her to adapt to such situations and improve her endurance over time.
As she begins the 2026 Australian Open, Raducanu faces a significant challenge in managing her energy levels and focus in such an environment. Despite her struggles, the young player remains committed to her training regimen and is determined to make the most of her experience.
. Like, I know she's got this, but it's just not fair. She's already been dealing with a delayed flight and now she's gotta rush into another 5-set match? That's crazy talk 
. And you know what the worst part is? The Aussie Open always does this kinda thing, so it's like they expect players to be all "oh well" about it 
. Newsflash: tennis players are human beings too, we need time to rest and prepare, not just push ourselves until we collapse 
. I'm rooting for Emma, though - she's a tough cookie and I know she'll learn from this experience 
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. I'm surprised they don't make an exception for players who are seeded for the first time in a while. More practice time would've been nice, y'know? 
i feel so bad for emma raducanu 
playing a late night match after a potential 5 setter is crazy 
she needs more time to prep and adjust 
sports scientists say it's not romantic, but it's still tough on players' bodies and minds 
i hope she can learn from this experience and get better at managing her energy levels 
meanwhile, we should appreciate the athletes who put their bodies through so much physical stress 
. Its not like tennis players are nocturnal or something! 
Emma Raducanu has a point about it affecting her prep time tho... its a tight turnaround from that warm-up tournament in Hobart and now she's gotta deal with playing at night? 
Can someone pls explain the logic behind this scheduling? 
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i'm sure she'll crush it tho! 
Can't the scheduling be a bit more player-friendly? I mean, tennis is already a mentally demanding sport; do they really need to throw in this extra stress factor? The athletes are the ones who have to deal with the consequences of these late-night matches...
. i get emma raducanu's frustration, she's had a delayed flight and just got to melbourne on saturday, now she has to play sunday night? that's like asking her to go from 0-100 in terms of prep time 
. sports scientists say its not romanticized when they're talking about the physical toll it takes, but i think that should be pretty obvious even without all those fancy words 
. anyway, hope emma can power through and learn from this experience 
. I get that tennis can be played at night, but five-set matches are intense enough without having to play under tight time constraints 
. Maybe this is a chance for sports scientists to come up with some new strategies to help players adapt, like more training sessions or something 
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. And you know what's even crazier? The Australian Open has been doing this for years and people still romanticize those midnight matches 
. I hope Emma can learn from this experience and improve her endurance, but it's just a shame she's gotta go through this at such an early stage of her career 
. The question is, how will she take care of herself in this situation? Will she be able to bounce back stronger next time around? That's what I'd love to see happen! 
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It's all about finding that balance.
... like, no one wants to compromise their health or performance for the sake of a good story 
. let's hope Emma takes care of herself and finds a way to make this work 