In a pre-tournament news conference on Monday Raducanu expressed optimism for the new season. She finished her 2024 season on a high, winning all three of her singles for Britain at the Billy Jean King Cup.
‘So that’s like a good stepping stone after three surgeries the year before,” Raducanu said. “And I think this year I’m just ready to push on and build on and I’ve really kind of taken measures and steps to do that with my team and how I’m operating and how I’m feeling about things. So, I’m looking forward to this year.”
Raducanu’s career has been regularly hampered by injuries and she recently hired fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura to join her team. Nakamura accompanied her to Auckland.
The 2021 U.S. Open champion returned to tennis last year after undergoing surgery on both wrists and an ankle. But she was sidelined for several weeks late in the season by a foot injury.
Raducanu fell out of the top 300 during her injury struggles but fought her way back to 56th through 2024. The Auckland event would have marked the first time in almost two years she has been seeded in a tournament.
