Emma Raducanu rolled her ankle during her Auckland round-of-16 match and was forced to retire.
On Thursday, Raducanu played Viktoria Kuzmova in Auckland
Due to the persistent rain, the match was moved to an indoor court.
Late in the second set, Raducanu rolled her ankle and was forced to retireĀ just before the start of the third set – even after receiving the medical intervention and getting her ankle heavily strapped.
Now, Raducanu is set for an MRI to determine the full extent of her injury.
With the Australian Open kicking off on January 16th, Raducanu could be in danger of missing the opening Grand Slam of the season.
New season, same problems for Raducanu
Last year, Raducanu was plagued by injuries and physical setbacks throughout the entire season.
In the offseason, Raducanu hired well-known strength and conditioning coach Jez Green.
Raducanu did a lot of gym work during the offseason as she made it clear that getting stronger and avoiding injuries and physical setbacks in 2023 is one of her top priorities.
Just before the start of the new season, Raducanu said this: “I want to be able to go out there and just focus on the tennis. I think this year I’m in a better position, but it’s still going to take some time to develop fully. One of my biggest goals is to ā it might not come this year, but to go out on the court and not think about my fitness, not think about, ‘Oh, like start the timer, I’ve got 60 minutes to finish this match.’ I want to be able to go out there and just focus on the tennis. I think this year I’m in a better position but it’s still going to take some time to develop fully.”
For Raducanu, it must be devastating to suffer an injury in her very first tournament of the year.
It remains to be seen if Raducanu will be fit for the Australian Open.