Emma Raducanu gets vote of confidence from compatriot ahead of Australian Open
British No 2 Jodie Burrage has boosted compatriot Emma Raducanu with her assessment of her prospects of winning the Australian Open in 2024.
Raducanu is competing in the year’s first Grand Slam after recuperating from wrist and ankle surgery in May of 2023.
She won her first match back against Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania, but fell in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
Burrage claimed that the 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, who pulled out of two exhibition matches in Melbourne this week, is healthy and prepared to take on Shelby Rogers in her Australian Open first-round match.
“I hit with Emma way over on Court 11,” Burrage told Eurosport.
“She was absolutely creaming the ball, proper going for it. It was a good practice actually; we played some good points.
“It’s nice to see her back on the court, back playing some really good stuff as well. It will be really interesting to see what she does this week. As I said, she’s hitting the ball really, really well. I’m excited for her.
“It will be good to see what all of us British girls can do this week. I think the conditions do suit us if we have our aggressive game style out there.”
Sunday marks the start of the 2024 Australian Open, where Burrage is scheduled to make her main-draw debut.
The world No 102 will play Tamara Korpatsch in the first round; Korpatsch is ranked 21 spots higher than Burrage.
“I played her [Korpatsch] twice at back end of last year and lost twice, so I know a lot about her,” Burrage said.
“The last match was an absolute battle. I’ve been watching a few clips the last few days of those matches. I think it’s going to be another battle out there.
“If I really commit to the game I want to play, my aggressive style, serve well, I know that I can get it done against her.
“She’s going to throw a lot at me. She’s a very crafty player, makes a lot of balls, but I have the confidence to get it done.”
With a career-high WTA ranking of 85, the 24-year-old Burrage is aiming to crack the top 75 this year.
“This year I really just want to secure myself in the top 100 – I think I’ve already dropped to 102 or something,” Burrage explained.
“I’ve not got many points to defend the next few months because of my injuries last year. It kind of gives me a free run to take a stab at a few of the bigger tournaments, yeah, try to cement my top 100 ranking.
“Once I get into that place, then look at where I can get to. I mean, I’d love to say I want to finish the year top 50 or whatever. I think realistic goal is top 75.”
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