Emma Raducanu vows to return when injury is ‘fully right’

British starlet Emma Raducanu has said she will not return to WTA action until her back is “fully right” after she retired from her first round match at the Rome Open this week. 

The 19-year-old has faced a string of injury concerns this season in 2022.

She struggled with a blister on her racket hand in the Australian Open second-round defeat and also retired with a leg injury from a lengthy opening-round match in Mexico.

The British teenager’s Billie Jean King Cup debut also ended in painful fashion last month when she was hampered by a blister on her foot. 

Most recently, Raducanu was hampered with a lower back problem in her Madrid Open last-16 exit against Anhelina Kalinina last week.

The injury has continued to persist as she was forced retire in her opening match of the Italian Open against fellow US Open winner Bianca Andreescu  on Tuesday when the British number one was trailing 2-6 1-2.

Despite the French Open commencing on the 22nd May, Raducanu has said she has to make sure she is fully fit if she is going to participate in upcoming tournaments.

Speaking to the WTA tour, the world number 11 told reporters, “I think the last few weeks have been really positive.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself and my game has definitely improved on this surface.

“But for sure I need to make sure my back is fully right, however long that takes. I need to just keep on it.

“I don’t want to play my next match with a feeling of limitation because I think that I learned my lesson from this week, when to push, and when not to push. Probably today wasn’t right.”

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