Emma Raducanu was in a positive mood as she geared up for her first match at the Miami Open, buoyed by some promising performances at Indian Wells. However, her optimism was shattered when she had to withdraw from the tournament.
Raducanu had received a wildcard entry from the organizers and was eager to make a strong comeback in Miami after missing much of the previous year due to injury, aiming to improve her position in the WTA rankings.
The 21-year-old British sensation was set to face off against No. 52 Wang Xiyu, with a potential second-round match against world No. 35 Anna Kalinskaya. However, it was confirmed late on Monday that Raducanu had to withdraw from the tournament due to a back injury.
Despite her optimistic outlook, this injury comes as a devastating blow to Emma Raducanu, who has been diligently working to regain full fitness following double wrist and ankle surgeries last year.
It remains unclear when Raducanu sustained this latest injury. She had expressed hopes of performing well in Miami after facing world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and delivering a promising performance in the third round of Indian Wells last week.
Raducanu reflected on her recent performances, saying, “I think it’s been a good 10 days. I haven’t trained particularly much before the tournament, but I feel like I’ll probably take a day to recover tomorrow physically because since the tournament started, I have done a little bit of something every day. So just to reset a bit mentally and physically tomorrow, and then, yeah, take it from there.”
“This week gives me confidence. I think especially because of where I was before this tournament, didn’t think I would even play, to be honest. But to have played and then won three rounds and beaten two amazing opponents, yeah, I’m very proud of myself.
Now it’s just about consistent work to physically get to where I want to be. Yeah, I saw a taste of the level where No. 1 is at physically and how she is at the corners, repetitive, relentless. Yeah, I just couldn’t take that.”
Despite being included in Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad for their tie against France next month, suggesting that fitness concerns were not an issue for her, Raducanu seems to have suffered a problem during her practice sessions in Miami.
Despite her optimistic outlook, this injury comes as a devastating blow to Emma Raducanu, who has been diligently working to regain full fitness following double wrist and ankle surgeries last year.
It remains unclear when Raducanu sustained this latest injury. She had expressed hopes of performing well in Miami after facing world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and delivering a promising performance in the third round of Indian Wells last week.
Raducanu reflected on her recent performances, saying, “I think it’s been a good 10 days. I haven’t trained particularly much before the tournament, but I feel like I’ll probably take a day to recover tomorrow physically because since the tournament started, I have done a little bit of something every day. So just to reset a bit mentally and physically tomorrow, and then, yeah, take it from there.”
“This week gives me confidence. I think especially because of where I was before this tournament, didn’t think I would even play, to be honest. But to have played and then won three rounds and beaten two amazing opponents, yeah, I’m very proud of myself. Now it’s just about consistent work to physically get to where I want to be. Yeah, I saw a taste of the level where No. 1 is at physically and how she is at the corners, repetitive, relentless. Yeah, I just couldn’t take that.”
Despite being included in Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad for their tie against France next month, suggesting that fitness concerns were not an issue for her, Raducanu seems to have suffered a problem during her practice sessions in Miami. This raises doubts about whether she will participate in the Billie Jean King Cup tie or the Stuttgart clay court event she is scheduled to play in a week later.
With very few ranking points to defend in the remainder of 2024, Raducanu could climb the WTA rankings swiftly if she can maintain her fitness. However, there is concern that this latest setback indicates her body may be struggling to cope with the demands of a demanding tennis schedule after such a prolonged absence from the court.
This raises doubts about whether she will participate in the Billie Jean King Cup tie or the Stuttgart clay court event she is scheduled to play in a week later.
With very few ranking points to defend in the remainder of 2024, Raducanu could climb the WTA rankings swiftly if she can maintain her fitness. However, there is concern that this latest setback indicates her body may be struggling to cope with the demands of a demanding tennis schedule after such a prolonged absence from the court.
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