Emma Raducanu’s Abu Dhabi opponent ready for ‘tough’ test against Brit

Marketa Vondrousova is ready to face Emma Raducanu in a “tough” Abu Dhabi clash between two Grand Slam champions looking to make their way back up the rankings.
2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova and 2021 US Open champion Raducanu are set to meet in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Open, with the winner set to face fourth seed Yulia Putintseva.
World No 56 Raducanu will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing early exit at the Singapore Open earlier in the week, with the Brit beaten by world No 101 Cristina Bucsa in three sets.
However, it will be Vondrousova’s first match since the Adelaide International, where she retired injured in her second round match against Diana Shnaider before withdrawing from the Australian Open.
The 25-year-old was present at the draw ceremony in Abu Dhabi this weekend, describing Raducanu as a “great player” ahead of their blockbuster clash.
“It’s tough but it’s nice to know who you’re playing against first,” said Vondrousova, the world No 36. “I expect a tough match. She’s a great player. I hope it’s going to be a good one.
“I actually felt great in Australia in the first matches and then I got injured. I didn’t play for a couple of weeks but now I feel good, I’m healthy so I hope I’m going to stay healthy and play good tennis.”
Abu Dhabi Open News
Elena Rybakina critical of Stefano Vukov investigation as she reveals new coach
Emma Raducanu turns to former coach as she confirms he will ‘help me out this week’
It is the third meeting between the two, with the head-to-head level at one win apiece.
Raducanu famously defeated the Czech during her breakthrough Wimbledon run in 2021, though the former world No 6 gained revenge with victory in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2022.
While Raducanu’s struggles with injury and consistency since her US Open triumph have been well documented, the issues Vondrousova has faced have been equally as challenging.
The Czech won her first WTA title in just her second tour-level event at the 2017 Biel/Bienne Open when she was just 17, and two years later reached the French Open final as a teenager.
She would injure her wrist at Wimbledon just a few weeks after her Roland Garros runner-up finish, requiring surgery that September.
A 2021 resurgence saw her win Olympic silver though she suffered another wrist injury in 2022 that required further surgery, and she needed a protected ranking to enter the 2023 Australian Open.
Later that year, Vondrousova stunned the tennis world by becoming the first unseeded woman to win the Wimbledon title in 2023 – though she fell in the opening round of her title defence in 2024.
That was followed by a shoulder operation that ruled her out of the rest of the season before her start to the 2025 season was disrupted after sustaining an injury in Adelaide.
The Czech’s opener against Raducanu is set to take place on Tuesday.
Read Next: The 7 women to lose in final of all four Grand Slams: Steffi Graf with a career Silver Slam