Emma Raducanu has been given a brutal draw at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
has been handed a nightmare draw as she returns to competition at the .
The British No. 2 was forced to , the ASB Classic, with a back injury and little is known about her fitness going into Melbourne.
But Raducanu will have a brutal path if she wants to make it into the second week of a Grand Slam tournament again.
Raducanu will take on No. 26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in her opening match. The 23-year-old had been set to face the Russian in the first round of last summer but Alexandrova pulled out.
An experienced player who was ranked inside the top 15 less than a year ago, Alexandrova has had a difficult start to the season, going 1-2 in matches. But her sole victory came over Leylah Fernandez – the tricky Canadian who Raducanu beat to win the US Open in 2021.
If Raducanu can take down the 26th seed, she will face either Amanda Anisimova, one of her good friends, or a familiar face in Maria Lourdes Carle.
The Argentine stunned Raducanu at last year’s Madrid Open, beating her 6-2 6-2 before the Brit said she felt “mentally and emotionally exhausted”.
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Should she reach the third round, Raducanu will face her toughest test yet as world No. 2 lurks.
The five-time Major champion would first have to beat Katerina Siniakova, then either Katie Volynets or Rebecca Sramkova, but seems nailed on to reach round three. Raducanu has faced Swiatek three times and never taken a set off the Polish star.
The British No. 2 has never lost her opening match at Melbourne Park so the pressure will be on when she faces Alexandrova. However, she has also never been beyong the second round.
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