Emma Raducanu races against time to be fit for Australian Open as another injury forces her to withdraw from a tournament
Emma Raducanu suffered a back niggle and announced her withdrawal from a WTA 250 event where she was scheduled to play on Tuesday.
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Emma Raducanu (Image via X)
Emma Raducanu was gearing up for the next season in Auckland but suffered another injury blow. She withdrew from the ASB Classic where she was set to make her third straight appearance.
Raducanu suffered a back niggle. Seeded No.6, Raducanu was scheduled to lock horns with USA’s Robin Montgomery on Tuesday but now she will be replaced by lucky loser Mai Hontama.
I’ve tried my best to be ready. I love Auckland and the fans here. But unfortunately, I’ve picked up a back niggle and I won’t be ready in time.
Emma Raducanu said in a statement
Raducanu’s career has been marred by injury problems but in 2024, although she dealt with fewer injuries, she played only 14 tournaments. She was criticized when she decided not to play the qualifying rounds at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open upon being denied wild cards.
The Brit then was in tears following her first-round exit at the US Open and admitted that the reason behind her mediocre performance was her withdrawing from the two hard-court tournaments.
Raducanu had vowed to play more tournaments, signing up for several events on the Asian swing but at the Korea Open, a foot injury forced her to give walkover to Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals. The youngster then withdrew from the rest of the tournaments in Asia but made her comeback at the Billie Jean King Cup.
Injury hampers Emma Raducanu’s campaign in Auckland for the second time
Emma Raducanu made her debut at the ASB Classic in 2023 and reached the second round after a three-set win over Linda Fruhvirtova. In the second round, however, she injured her ankle and gave a walkover to Viktoria Hruncakova.
That same year, she spent her time on the sidelines since April due to multiple injuries and surgeries. She made her comeback at the 2024 ASB Classic where Raducanu once again reached the second round but failed to overcome Elina Svitolina. Last season, she had a decent campaign on the grass swing which helped her rankings as she currently stands in the 56th position.
Raducanu recently hired renowned trainer Yutaka Nakamura to work on her fitness problems. Her next destination is Melbourne, but whether she will be able to participate in the Australian Open is uncertain.
She will enter the tournament without match practice so it won’t be surprising if she suffers another early exit. Raducanu has never progressed to the third round in Melbourne.
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Gouri Das
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