Emma Raducanu downplays 'favorite' tag for Australian Open, says she is "still new to everything"

Emma Raducanu recently spoke about her upcoming schedule at an interaction with the media at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton. The reigning champion at one of two hardcourt Slams, Raducanu said she will do "whatever it takes" to play at the other one - the season-opening Australian Open in 2022.

The Brit's comments come in the wake of reports that suggest players competing in Melbourne will have to adhere to strict quarantine restrictions, akin to the 2021 tournament.

Confirming her participation in the tournament, Emma Raducanu said she was looking forward to competing against some of the best players in the world Down Under.

"Whatever needs to be done to be able to play the Australian Open, I'll do," Raducanu said. "To me, it is not even a thought or a battle in mind - I just want to be at the Australian Open and I want to compete there."

Raducanu, however, downplayed the idea of her being a favorite for the title in Melbourne. Asserting that she is still fairly new to everything, the youngster claimed that her main focus was to gain experience of playing tennis at the highest level.

Raducanu added that she will look to "absorb" as much knowledge as she can, without being preoccupied with immediate results. That approach, according to the 18-year-old, will be useful in the longer run.

"If I'm seeded, then I'm seeded, but favorite? You can't really say I'm a favorite. I'm still so new to everything," Raducanu said. "I just feel like I'm learning and absorbing all the knowledge that I'm gaining like a sponge, and soaking it all in."

"That's what I really want to do," she added. "I'm not focused on results, I'm focused on how much I can learn because that’s what’s really going to drive me forward."

"I like to challenge myself and beat the top players" - Emma Raducanu

Raducanu after winning the US Open final against Leylah Fernandez.

Emma Raducanu also briefly spoke about her expectations going into future tournaments. The Brit claimed that she would love to take on the challenge of playing the top players on a regular basis.

Raducanu subsequently added it would be a great "learning opportunity" to do that, and that she was excited to see the level she can reach in the coming months.

"I like to challenge myself and obviously it's going to be extremely difficult to beat a top-10 player or a player of that quality," Raducanu said. "But I’m up for it and, even if I lose, I think it'd be a great learning [opportunity] - just to compare where I'm at to where the best in the world are. So either way for me it would be a win-win."