Emma Raducanu leaves the court in tears as she is forced to retire with an ankle injury in Auckland, putting her hopes of playing at the Australian Open in 11 days’ time in serious doubt
- Emma Raducanu has retired from the ASB Classic in Auckland due to an injury
- At the end of the second set, which he was down 7-5, a trainer checked his ankle
- Raducanu played a point to start the third before retiring from the match
- The Briton was left in tears with his Australian Open place now in real danger
Emma Raducanu broke down in tears as her hopes of playing at the Australian Open were in serious jeopardy after being forced to retire with injury in Auckland.
The one-time US Open champion was on cruise control against world No 134 Viktoria Kuzmova, winning the first set, but she was soon sidelined by an issue with her left ankle.
At the end of the second set, which he lost 7-5, Raducanu received treatment from the trainer, before breaking down in tears after another point that proved too painful to play, raising serious doubts that he would ever be fit. for the season-opening Grand Slam in 11 days.
Emma Raducanu breaks down in tears after retiring injured from the ASB Classic in Auckland
The Briton will now be a major doubt to compete at the Australian Open, which starts in 11 days
Raducanu received attention from the trainer after losing the second set to Viktoria Kuzmova
Following her 2023 opening win over 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova on Monday, hopes are growing that Raducanu can build form to compete in Melbourne at the Australian Open.
But leaving the court at the ASB Classic in tears suggests she now fears for her place at the Slam, with the draw to be made in a week on Thursday.
His final point was made on serve but he winced and quickly signaled that there was no way he could play out a deciding set, opting instead to retire.
Raducanu quickly realized the pain was too much and retired at the start of the third set
Raducanu came out in great form and was aggressive in his play from the off, racing to a 6-0 first set lead.
He committed just three unforced errors and had a first serve percentage of over 70 percent.
But the momentum changed in the second set as she failed to grab a series of break point opportunities, eventually losing her own hold on serve to Kuzmova.
This is the seventh time Raducanu has been forced to withdraw injured from a tournament since she entered the WTA Tour.
In her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2021 she retired due to breathing difficulties, before retiring at the start of 2022 at the Abierto Zapopan event due to cramps and fatigue.
Raducanu has had an unfortunate fate with injuries, retiring five times in 2022 with a series of problems
From there, Raducanu pulled out of matches at the Italian Open and Nottingham Open due to a back issue in Italy and apparently a rib issue back in England.
A glute problem cost him an impressive run at the Korea Open before ending his 2022 season at the Transylvania Open.
Raducanu has worked hard to try and build up her stamina for the grueling WTA Tour and has always vowed not to be a ‘Google doctor’ herself.
But the tears that flowed in Auckland suggest resignation that the Australian Open may have come too soon with just 11 days until the first round at Melbourne Park.
