Raducanu, now ranked 61, missed a large part of the 2023 season following wrist and ankle surgery, and was then sidelined for two months by a foot injury.
She pulled out of her Australian Open warm-up event in Auckland with a back niggle and needed an injury timeout for a tight leg muscle when 3-0 down in the second set against Anisimova.
“Every match I can play against these top opponents, I’m loving it,” she added.
“It’s an opportunity to test my game, see where I’m at,” she said.
“I have nothing to lose, I’m just going to swing and give it my best.”
Swiatek, who lost her top ranking to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka last season after a one-month doping ban, has a poor record in Melbourne by her lofty standards.
She has only once progressed beyond the fourth round, in 2022, when she lost in the semi-finals.
Swiatek now has Naomi Osaka’s former coach Wim Fissette in her corner after hooking up with the Belgian towards the end of last year.
He has installed a hitting partner for Swiatek as she aims to improve her record in Australia, and she said the partnership was working well.
“He’s been great,” said Swiatek. “I feel like he’s really supportive.
“And you know being on the women’s tour, I think it’s not easy especially when most of the coaches are men. They also need to understand what we go through sometimes.
“I feel like Wim is doing that very well.”
© 2025 AFP
