Emma Raducanu turns to books for therapy as she recovers from Australian Open 2025 heartbreak

Emma Raducanu had found solace in books as she continued to cope with the heartbreak of her early exit from the Australian Open 2025. The Brit faced disappointment after being defeated in the third round of the tournament.

Raducanu took to Threads (a Meta platform) to share her latest interest after her practice session on Thursday, January 23. She revealed her growing passion for reading and mentioned that she recently picked up some new books. She wrote:

“Spent an hour a day this week after practice in the bookstores reading pages from multiple books. Ended up buying just 3 aha but probably put down 30. Talk about not judging a book by its cover.. got a little purchase happy when I saw this one.”

She also mentioned her preference for non-fiction but mentioned that she had recently started exploring the classics. In an enthusiastic video, the Brit cheerfully held up a copy of Jane Austen’s Emma, a novel that resembles her name.

“I usually read a lot of non fiction but I’m going to reacquaint myself with the classics.”

Emma Raducanu kicked off her 2025 Australian Open campaign with a match against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova, securing a win to advance to the second round. There, she faced USA’s Amanda Anisimova and claimed a two-set victory to move forward in the tournament.

In round three on January 18, The Brit fell short before the Pole Iga Swiatek. Raducanu took an early exit from the tournament after her very bad loss against Swiatek, 1-6,0-6.

Emma Raducanu discusses Australian Open 2025 loss

Emma Raducanu pictured at the 2025 Australian Open | Image Source: Getty

Emma Raducanu faced another major setback in her career, suffering a straight-sets defeat against Iga Swiatek. This loss mirrored a similar defeat she endured against Elena Rybakina at a WTA 500 tournament in Sydney back in 2022.

Following her third-round match at the Australian Open 2025, the British star reflected on her performance, stating she would use the loss as valuable feedback for future improvement.

Raducanu shared:

“I think today, credit to Iga, she played good tennis, but I think it was a little bit of her playing well and me not playing so well. That combination is probably not good and resulted in today.The scoreline was obviously quite harsh. I feel like I look back and know exactly what I need to do, and I take it as feedback.”

The 22-year-old expressed her gratitude for being able to compete in the tournament, noting that she had faced some challenges following the ASB Classic in Auckland.

“Three weeks ago when I was in Auckland I was doing pool rehab, I think to be on a tennis court playing matches and competing is something I have to be grateful for,” Raducanu said.

Later, she admitted that her serves needed improvement and emphasized that her back injuries should not be used as an excuse in the match against Swiatek. She said:

“I started hitting when I came here 18 days ago. I have to take a positive that I was able to beat two top opponents in the first two rounds. But I think today, no excuses of the back or physically."

She added:

“I think the thing I want to improve is serving. The first two matches I got away with it against two top players because I was able to defend and move, use the rest of my game.”