Emma Raducanu will face Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
has been accused of deploying ‘iffy’ tactics to overcome Amanda Anisimova at the . The British star won in straight sets to set up a thrilling third-round tie against in Melbourne.
Raducanu navigated the pain barrier to win her second-round match. A back injury caused the 22-year-old problems and forced her to call the trainer onto the court on a couple of occasions.
John McEnroe believes the stoppages might have ‘thrown off’ Anisimova’s rhythm and described the move to call on the trainer as ‘iffy’.
Speaking on Eurosport, McEnroe said: “She called the trainer a couple times on the court during the second set against Anisimova so it looks kind of iffy what was going to happen. I don’t know if that threw Anisimova off, but it worked.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
“She looked like she was moving better. But obviously that will be a problem against Iga. To me, when you play a top player like Iga who’s not as comfortable on hard courts as she is on clay, it’s a good time to play her, when she’s not quite sure of herself.
“Radacanu’s making progress but it’ll be a tall order. If she’s feeling right, she’ll have a shot at it. It’s good to see her back in the mix.”
Raducanu has impressed down under given that she came into the with no competition action under her belt in 2025. Her 2023 and 2024 campaigns were heavily disrupted by injury problems.
A monumental test against Swiatek will provide evidence for how far Raducanu has come since she underwent surgery on both wrists and her ankle in mid-2023. Former British men’s No. 1 Tim Henman believes the 2021 US Open champion can cause Swiatek problems.
Emma Raducanu was accused of ‘iffy’ tactics after calling the trainer at the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
The Polish star is much better on a clay court than she is on Melbourne’s hard surface.
“We can focus on kind of either end of the court. I would focus on what Raducanu’s doing – she just needs matches. She needs to keep this physical resilience to keep her confidence on the match court,” Henman said.
“She’s obviously playing against the world number two, Swiatek, who is a brilliant player, but hard courts are not her favourite surface, so Raducanu needs to go in with a clear game plan and belief that she can take down Swiatek.”