Raducanu pain free and serene as she enjoys winning Grand Slam return

Emma Raducanu spoke of finally being pain free as she began her Australian Open campaign with an impressive 6-3 6-2 defeat of American Shelby Rogers on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old Briton won the 2021 U.S. Open in stunning fashion as a qualifier but struggled for form in 2022 and suffered an injury-ravaged 2023 in which she was sidelined since April.

A year ago in Melbourne she managed to win a round just weeks after surgery to have a cyst removed from her knee and later in the year needed a wrist operation.

But the way she moved around the court and struck the ball against Rogers, augurs well for a rapid climb back up the rankings from her current 296.

"(Last year) I travelled here on a wheelchair," she told reporters. "I only started hitting three days before the match. That whole process was a lot of stress. We weren't sure if I was going to be able to play here.

"I think this year and now there's just a lot more calm. It's amazing to be pain-free with the wrists. I honestly didn't know if I'd ever get to this stage.

"I had pain for so long. I was playing since before the U.S. swing in 2022 all the way before surgery. It was difficult because I wasn't able to train, I wasn't able to practice."

Raducanu, who scraped in to the main draw because of her protected ranking and some withdrawals of other players, was caught in a whirlwind of publicity after her remarkable run to the title at Flushing Meadows in 2021.

At times the expectation on her shoulders seemed to weigh heavily, but she looked serene on Tuesday as she delighted a supportive crowd with a classy display to set up a second round against China's Wang Yafan.

She said working with coach Nick Cavaday has been a calming factor after chopping and changing her team at regular