Emma Raducanu retires injured in Auckland, ditching Australian Open hopes

Emma Raducanu has been left in tears as her hopes of playing at the Australian Open are seriously jeopardized after she was injured in Auckland.

The one-time US Open champion was in cruise control against world No. 134 Viktoria Kuzmova to win the first set, but she soon faltered with a problem in her left ankle.

At the end of the second set, which she lost 7-5, Raducanu received treatment from the coach before tearfully withdrawing after another point proved too painful to continue, raising serious doubts as to whether she was fit for the season-opening Grand Fit will be Slam in 11 days.

Emma Raducanu broke down in tears after retiring injured at the ASB Classic in Auckland

The Brit will now have serious doubts about competing at the Australian Open, which starts in 11 days

Raducanu got attention from the coach after losing the second set to Viktoria Kuzmova

After her opening 2023 win over 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova on Monday, hopes grew that Raducanu could build form to compete at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

But leaving the seat at the ASB Classic in tears suggests she now fears for her place in the Slam as the draw is a week away on Thursday.

Her final point came on serve, but she flinched and quickly signaled there was no way she could play in a deciding set, opting to retire instead.

Raducanu quickly realized the pain was too much and was eliminated early in the third set

Raducanu came out in good form, playing aggressively from the start as she took a 6-0 lead in the opener.

She made just three unforced errors and had her first serve percentage over 70 percent.

But the momentum changed in set number two as she missed a number of break point chances and eventually lost her own hold on serve against Kuzmova.

This is the seventh time Raducanu has been forced to pull out of a tournament injured since her breakthrough on the WTA Tour.

She withdrew in her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2021 due to breathing difficulties before retiring at the Abierto Zapopan event in early 2022 due to cramps and fatigue.

Raducanu was unlucky with injuries and retired five times in 2022 due to a series of issues

From there, Raducanu withdrew from matches at the Italian Open and Nottingham Open due to a back problem in Italy and an apparent rib problem in England.

A glute problem cost her an impressive run at the Korea Open before ending her 2022 season at the Transylvania Open.

Raducanu has worked hard to build her resilience for the grueling WTA Tour and has always vowed she wouldn’t “google” herself.

But the tears that shed in Auckland suggest a resignation that the Australian Open could come too early with just 11 days to go until the first round at Melbourne Park.