Emma Raducanu criticises courts after injury puts Australian Open chances in doubt
Emma Raducanu has suffered another injury leaving her Australian Open hopes in tatters, as she retired from her second round match against Viktoria Kuzmova at the ASB Classic, Auckland.
Raducanu rolled her ankle towards the end of the second set, and tried to continue but called it quits after two points in the decider, leaving the court in tears.
The Australian Open begins in 10 days, leaving the Brit with little time to recover, but Raducanu said that she “would assess the situation over the coming days and see what the next steps are.”
The outdoor tournament has been mainly played indoors, with heavy rain affecting play, and Raducanu suggested that this played a part in her injury.
“The courts are incredibly slick, very slippery, so it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone. It’s out of my control and after a very long day of waiting around.”
The 2021 US Open champion had made a good start to the new season, beating Linda Fruhvirtova in the first round, and looked to be continuing this form against Kuzmova.
Raducanu had breezed through the first set, winning it in 24 minutes without dropping a game, but failed to take her chances in the second before suffering the ankle injury.
This latest setback follows a string of physical issues in 2022, causing Raducanu to retire from five matches. The British No.1 player said she was injury-free coming into 2023, and is disappointed with this latest injury.
“I’ve put a lot of physical work in the last few months and I’ve been feeling good and optimistic. So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well. I thought I was playing some pretty decent tennis.”
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