Emma Raducanu withdraws from Miami Open with back injury
Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the upcoming Miami Open, citing a back injury for her withdrawal from the tournament.
Raducanu returned to the WTA Tour after an eighth month hiatus at the start of the year, following surgeries to both wrists and her left ankle.
Since returning, the Brit has played tournaments in Auckland, Abu Dhabi, Doha and made her Grand Slam comeback at the Australian Open in January.
Last week, Raducanu reached the third round at Indian Wells after beating Rebeka Masarova and Dayana Yastremska.
But, she could not get past world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, with the 2021 US Open champion suffering a tight straight sets defeat.
And Raducanu was set to continue her progress at the Miami Open this week, having received a wildcard, and actually posted a video on Instagram of her training at the Hard Rock Stadium Complex.
However, it seems as though the 21-year-old is not feeling fit enough to compete, withdrawing from the WTA 1000 event with a reported lower back injury.
Raducanu was set to play against Chinese player Xiyu Wang in the first round, but has since been replaced by qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
The world No.288 Brit is next scheduled to compete as part of Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie against France next month, before heading to the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart.
Inside the baseline…
It is very disappointing news for Emma Raducanu, as it seemed as though this would be a great opportunity to push on from her positive week at Indian Wells last week. Hopefully it is purely precautionary, as Raducanu’s fitness has seemed a lot better since returning to the WTA Tour. Although building up the ranking is important, maybe it would be best for Raducanu not to compete again before the Billie Jean King Cup, so she can fully heal ahead of a busy clay court season.
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