‘What is it?’ – Emma Raducanu perplexed by training mishap ahead of WTA return

Emma Raducanu revealed to fans that she broke her strings three times during a single training session ahead of the WTA 250 Zapopan Open in Mexico this week. 

The world number 12 has not played since exiting the Australian Open in the second round last month and will be hoping to go deep in Guadalajara.

But Raducanu has already run into problems of an unexpected nature as she shared with fans on social media ahead of the tournament.

“Lol, is it the altitude or topspin?” The 19-year-old questioned along with an image of three rackets, each with snapped strings.

“One session, three broken strings,” she added.

Guadalajara is an unusual venue for a tennis event given its extreme altitude.

At more than 1,500 metres (5,100 feet) above sea level, conditions are wholly different to the majority of locations on the WTA tour, making controlling the ball more of a challenge than elsewhere.

Raducanu is the top seed in Guadalajara, with 2017 US Open finalist and world number 29 seeded second.

The Brit takes on Daria Saville, née Gavrilova, as the world number 610 Aussie enters the event by virtue of her protected ranking after suffering numerous injuries in the past few years.

The Zapopan Open represent just Raducanu’s seventh entry into the main draw of a WTA tour event having amazingly claimed her first WTA tour victory after her historic US Open triumph last year.

The teen went into the New York Slam having played just two events on the WTA tour, going on to clinch her first victory in Cluj, Romania by defeating Polona Hercog in the WTA 250 Transylvania Open in October.

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