Emma Raducanu‘s upcoming opponent at the Australian Open has debuted a bold new look on social media.
Raducanu booked her place in the second round of the competition after a creditable 7-6, 7-6 win against No 26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in Melbourne.
As a result, Raducanu will face American tennis star Amanda Anisimova in the next round – who had previously stepped away from the sport after being a target of trolls.
Anisimova, 23, returned to tennis last year after taking an eight-month break from the sport to focus on her mental health amid frequent messages about her appearance.
Yet almost exactly 12 months after ending her hiatus, the former French Open semi-finalist has completed a stunning transformation after ditching her usual blonde hair for a dark brunette look.
Amanda uploaded a photo of herself showing off her new hair color on Instagram and wrote: ‘Why not’.
Emma Raducanu has booked her place in the second round of the Australian Open
She’ll face American tennis star Amanda Anisimova – who only returned to tennis last year
Anisimova recently ditched her blonde hair for a new brunette look in a post on social media
At the age of just 21, Anisimova briefly walked away from tennis after being brutally mocked by trolls on social media for having ‘giant boobs’.
Before announcing she was taking a break from the sport the New Jersey-born star, whose parents emigrated to the US from Russia, shared a screenshot of one user’s cruel jibe to her on Instagram.
‘The most unathletic body ever! Narrow shoulders and giant boobs,’ the message read.
She initially replied to the comment with ‘Thank you’ and a kissing emoji before sharing it to her story and writing: ‘Idk what to think? lol.’
Anisimova then added: ‘The amount of people who comment on my body every day on social media… will never understand what the hyper fixation is about.’
After losing in the first round of the Madrid Open in 2023, Anisimova revealed she would be stepping back from the sport while struggling with her mental health.
‘Hey guys. I thought I’d make a post explaining what’s been going on and my plans,’ she explained. ‘I’ve really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022.
‘It’s become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time. I’ve worked as hard as I could to push through it. I will miss being out there, and I appreciate all the continuous support.’
She previously had blonde hair throughout her tennis career before making the bold change
Despite her new look, Raducanu will be hoping to get the better of the American in their clash
Since making her return in January 2024, Anisimova – currently ranked 36th in the world – has played at the US Open, French Open and the Australian Open twice, making it to the fourth round of the latter competition last year.
Meanwhile, Raducanu generally played well in her opening match, with some impressive problem solving on the fly – helped by the odd word from coach Nick Cavaday – she won only her fourth Grand Slam match against a seeded opponent.
The British No2 appeared to be debuting yet another tweak to her serve – this time a grip change – and her second delivery was extremely inconsistent.
The first serve was fine – 57 per cent in and nine aces – but in the first set Raducanu won only 18 per cent of her second-serve points. The double faults were the main culprits but even when the second serve went in Alexandrova was brutalising it. The fact Raducanu was still able to take the set showed how well the rest of her game was operating.