Emma Raducanu retires injured in Auckland leaving Australian Open hopes in doubt
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Emma Raducanu leaves the court in tears as she is forced to withdraw with an ankle injury in Auckland, casting doubt on her hopes of playing at the Australian Open in 11 days.
- Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Auckland ASB Classic with injury
- At the end of the second set, which he lost 7-5, a coach examined his ankle
- Raducanu played a point to start the third before retiring from the match
- The Brit was left in tears with her Australian Open place now in real jeopardy
Emma Raducanu was left without tears when her hopes of playing at the Australian Open are in serious jeopardy after being forced to withdraw injured in Auckland.
The former US Open champion was on cruise control against world number 134 Viktoria Kuzmova, winning the first set, but soon reeled with a left ankle problem.
Late in the second set, which he lost 7-5, Raducanu received treatment from the coach, before retiring in tears after one more point proved too painful to play, raising serious doubts that he will be fit for the Grand Grand opening. the season. Slam within 11 days.
After her maiden win of 2023 against 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova on Monday, there was growing hope that Raducanu could build form to compete in Melbourne at the Australian Open.
But leaving the court at the ASB Classic in tears suggests he now fears for his place at the Slam, with the draw to take place on Thursday.
Her last point came on serve, but she flinched and quickly pointed out that there was no way she could play in a deciding set, and opted to retire.
Raducanu came out in fine form and was aggressive in her game from the start, taking a 6-0 lead in the first set.
He made just three unforced errors and his first serve percentage was over 70 percent.
But the momentum changed in the second set when she failed to convert a series of break opportunities, eventually losing her own serve to Kuzmova.
This marks the seventh time Raducanu has been forced to withdraw from a tournament with an injury since breaking onto the WTA Tour.
In his Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2021, he withdrew due to respiratory difficulties, before withdrawing in early 2022 at the Abierto Zapopan event due to cramps and fatigue.
Thereafter, Raducanu withdrew from matches at the Italian Open and Nottingham Open due to a back problem in Italy and an apparent rib problem in England.
A gluteal problem cost him an impressive run at the Korea Open before his 2022 season ended at the Transylvania Open.
Raducanu has worked hard to try and increase her durability for the grueling WTA Tour and has always vowed that she herself would not be ‘Google doctor’.
But the tears that flowed in Auckland suggest a resignation that the Australian Open may come too soon at just 11 days until the first round at Melbourne Park.