Emma Raducanu did not have much time to adjust to Melbourne after wrapping up her Hobart campaign. However, the British No. 1 now has to deal with another challenge. She is set to begin her Australian Open campaign on Sunday, but her first round match is scheduled second on court after a men’s contest starting at 7 pm local time. With the match on paper having the potential to go five sets, a very late start remains a real possibility, adding another layer to Raducanu’s frustration.

“I think it’s very difficult to be scheduling women’s matches after a potential five-set match,” Emma Raducanu said during the pre-event press conference. “To me it doesn’t really make as much sense.”

For someone who has already faced setbacks this season, the late scheduling is just one of the hurdles. Raducanu arrived for the 2026 season carrying a foot problem that had developed during the latter part of 2025. She pulled out of her opening match at the United Cup in Perth just hours before she was due to play Naomi Osaka, as the recurring issue had limited her ability to train fully over the past few months.

Because of the foot discomfort, Raducanu only started full tennis training very late in the build-up to the season. Emma Raducanu even said that she began hitting on the court just a few weeks before arriving in Australia, meaning she missed most of the usual pre-season preparation. And now, she has been managing the injury carefully and is trying to temper expectations for the tournament.

Looking back on the unusual schedule, Emma Raducanu added: “I think after seeing it… the initial reaction is probably like it’s a late one, but um, and then you deal with it and you try and shift your day and adjust. Like today, I’m going to practice and see what it’s like. I don’t think I’ve been in that situation…”

She added, “For me it’s a new experience…Something that I need to learn to do. Hopefully, if I’m playing this game for a long time,..So it’s a good learning step to try and adjust and uh and deal with that day as well.”

Emma Raducanu is set to take on the 195th-ranked Mananchaya Sawangkaew from Thailand in her first match. Although her opponent is ranked lower and is making her Grand Slam debut, Raducanu still considers her “dangerous.” While the schedule around her is heavy and far from ideal, the match does more than test her focus. It tests whether sticking with a new member was the right call or needs to be changed.

Emma Raducanu aims for consistency in 2026 with coach Francisco Roig

The 2026 season can either make or break Emma Raducanu. She began working with new coach Francisco Roig in the summer of 2025 after a trial period following Wimbledon. Following this, she formally added Roig to her staff before the Cincinnati Open and the 2025 US Open, with the intention continuing through 2026.

Roig brings an impressive pedigree, having spent 18 years as part of Rafael Nadal’s coaching team, helping him win all 22 of his Grand Slam titles. He is renowned for his technical insight, attention to detail, and focus on shot quality and consistency, areas that Raducanu has been keen to refine. As she says, “He’s obviously got a bank of experience, and I’m very excited to continue working with him and to have him on my side.”

Before Roig, Raducanu had gone through several coaches since her 2021 US Open breakout, including Mark Petchey and others, at times switching teams within weeks. That uncertainty made it hard to focus on bigger, longer-term fixes. But the expectation with the arrival of Roig was that she could have a more stable platform from which to build her game.

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Positive signs started showing in 2025 under Roig. Raducanu made the semifinals at the Washington Open, had good showings at Miami and Queen’s, and even climbed back into the top 35 in the world rankings. She also notched her first US Open win since 2021, defeating Ena Shibahara 6‑1, 6‑2.

Continuing with Roig into 2026 allows Raducanu to build on that progress without the disruption of another coaching change. The Australian Open is therefore one of the first meaningful tests of how his methods translate into consistent improvement under pressure.