Emma Raducanu believes she has “nothing to lose” as she prepares for a clash against former world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Australian Open.
Raducanu overcame back issues to defeat big-hitting Amanda Anisimova 6-3 7-5 and reach the last 32 for the first time in Melbourne.
The 22-year-old is back in the third round of a hard court Grand Slam for the first time since winning the US Open in 2021.
Raducanu beat Amanda Anisimova 6-3 7-5 after overcoming back issues
“I’m loving it. It’s another opportunity to test my game,” Raducanu said ahead of her clash with world No 2 Swiatek on Saturday.
“I think obviously she’s [Swiatek] achieved so much already and I think going into it, I have nothing to lose. I’m just going to swing. I’m going to give it my best and I can’t wait to play in front of you guys.
“She is a top player, she’s been really consistent over the last quite a few years. So it’s going to be a match for me where I feel like I don’t really have much expectation externally.
Raducanu celebrates after defeating Anisimova in their second-round match in Melbourne
“I think you always have the pressure that you put on yourself to perform to your best ability, which is not really going to change, but that’s every match.
“I’m looking forward to going out there and testing my game against the best, because, ultimately, you play tennis and you live for these matches. It’s going to be a great buzz of adrenaline.”
Raducanu stressed she would taking a relaxed approach to preparations for her meeting with the Pole, who wasted little time in beating Slovak Rebecca Sramkova 6-0 6-2 on Thursday.
Swiatek will be the highest-ranked player Raducanu has ever faced at a Grand Slam, and she is yet to win a set in three meetings with her.
“I think I’ll probably just take it easy [on Friday],” she said. “I’ll probably have a light hit. Nothing crazy.
“I’ve played a lot of tennis today and two days ago, so I don’t think I need to overdo it on the practice court. Just to keep the body ticking over a little bit and just recover really.”
Swiatek sits 59 places above Raducanu in the world rankings but said: “There’s no point to look at rankings, especially when you have these great players that already have been through great tournaments and won some tournaments.
“You know that they can play well.”
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