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Australian Open: Emma Raducanu has declared herself ready to face the challenges of the Australian Open, expressing confidence in her ability to compete with the best after recovering from a back spasm. The 22-year-old British star, who pulled out of the Auckland warm-up tournament last week, has been training at Melbourne Park and is optimistic about her chances.

Raducanu revealed during her pre-tournament press conference that the spasm occurred in London while preparing for the season. "One morning I was warming up, bent over to tie my laces, and I had a spasm. That was really it," she explained. "It took a while to clear. I've had them before. They've usually settled within a few days. But this one niggled for a couple of weeks."

The injury disrupted her preparations, forcing her to miss vital practice sessions and withdraw from her first scheduled tournament. Despite the interruption, Raducanu has made a strong recovery, bolstered by a solid block of training over the past ten days.