Emma Raducanu’s foot injury has forced her to withdraw from this week’s China Open in Beijing. It was due to this problem that the 21-year-old British woman was forced to withdraw from her Korea Open quarter-final in Seoul on Saturday as well.
After this unfortunate incident, the athlete admitted: “I sprained some ligaments in my foot which unfortunately need some more time to heal… It means I can’t play in Beijing but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can.”
China’s Zheng Qinwen, ranked fifth, was expected to be the opponent for Raducanu, ranked 54th, in the first round.
Raducanu decided to end her match after losing the first set to Daria Kasatkina of Russia in Seoul, citing a medical timeout after five games.
Known for winning the 2021 US Open as a teenage qualifier, Raducanu is next expected to compete on October 7 in Wuhan, China.
Raducanu rising in the ranks
The young athlete was on the verge of returning to the world’s top 50 after winning two matches in Seoul over Peyton Stearns, an American, and Yue, a Chinese player, both of whom are ranked higher. Since the points from her victory in New York were eliminated in August 2022, this is Raducanu’s highest standing.
With 33 matches played so far this season on the WTA Tour, Raducanu is three matches short of her career-high of 36 in 2022.
After requiring surgery on both wrists and her left ankle, Raducanu missed the majority of the previous season. She returned at the beginning of this year and has since risen steadily back up the rankings.
Emma Raducanu, the former US Open Champion, has withdrawn from the Hong Kong Open because of injury. The athlete shared that she has not fully recovered from a foot injury that prevented her from participating in four other tournaments in recent weeks.
Raducanu, currently ranked 55 in the world, has not played after she exited midway through her quarter-final match at the Korea Open last month. She has struggled with injuries since winning her only Grand Slam title in 2021, and she spent the majority of the last season recovering from her ankle and wrist surgeries.
She declared that she recently sprained ligaments in her foot, which stopped her from joining the WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan, as well as in Ningbo and Guangzhou.
The athlete said: “I’m sorry to say that I will not be able to play in Hong Kong next week. Whilst my foot is making good progress, I need a little more time before I am match fit. I hope to be able to come back and play this tournament in the future.”
However, she is preparing to be fit and ready for the Billie Jean King Cup finals, where Britain will face Germany in the first round on November 15.
She added: “In the meantime, I am doing what I can to be ready for BJKC.”
British tennis player Emma Raducanu is keen to play as many games as she can in the last weeks of the 2024 season.
At the Korea Open this week, the 21-year-old is participating in just her third tournament following her defeat in the fourth round of Wimbledon. In her recent match, she overcame American Peyton Stearns in the opening round.
The former US Open champion has acknowledged that she made mistakes with her summer programme and that she would want to play as many matches as possible in Asia, where she feels most comfortable.
Raducanu’s 2024 playing season
Raducanu only played in Washington before the US Open, having opted to skip the Olympics earlier this summer in order to concentrate on the hard-court swing in North America. After losing to Sofia Kenin in the first round, the former Flushing Meadows champion broke down in tears and admitted she should have played more.
Now that she will be competing in two Asian events—the Wuhan Open next month and the China Open starting on September 25—Raducanu is trying to make up for the missed plays.
The athlete admitted: “I think the rest of the year, as long as I’m healthy, I’m going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can.”
She added: “It’s something I’m really light on since the grass through the [Washington] DC period. I’ve not played many points, even in practice…. So as gruelling as [the match against Stearns] was, I think I had three hours of match experience which can only aid me going into the next few weeks…For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can.”
Raducanu’s Asian foray
Raducanu, who has been eager to play in Asia again after missing the majority of the previous season due to surgery on both wrists and one ankle, will take on eighth-seeded Yue Yuan in the second round.
The athlete has a great chance to improve on her current position of 70th in the world over the next several weeks as she has no ranking points to defend.
With her upcoming games, she declared: “Playing in China, I’ve never done that, so that’s going to be a first for me. I feel pretty comfortable in this environment, which is an advantage…. I stacked the year on the back-end heavy because I’m excited. I thrive in Asia.”
In her first-round match on Tuesday, Raducanu took on Wang Xiyu of China, writing another chapter in her incredible comeback tale at the competition. But she surrendered in the third round at Indian Wells despite her heroic efforts, as Aryna Sabalenka won 6-3, 7-5.
Notably, Raducanu is still fighting for her maiden WTA Tour victory against a player ranked in the top 10, highlighting the difficulties she valiantly faces along the way to achievement. Raducanu’s tenacity and willpower never cease to astound spectators, portraying the genuine essence of a competitor aiming for excellence.
The former US Open winner took on the dangerous world No. 2 player, Sabalenka, in Miami’s intensely competitive singles field of 96 participants. She gave it her all, but she lost in straight sets. Nevertheless, after her remarkable journey to the final 16 of the same competition a year ago, her successive triumphs represent a noteworthy accomplishment.
After missing eight months due to surgery on her wrist and ankle, Raducanu’s return has been aided by her childhood coach, Nick Cavaday. As she tells her inspirational comeback narrative on the tennis court, her tenacity and resolves continue to enthrall admirers everywhere.
Raducanu’s intrigue
The uncertainty surrounding Raducanu’s status for Great Britain’s side in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup qualification round against France heightens the drama surrounding the match. Captain Anne Keothavong maintains a full-strength lineup that includes Heather Watson, Harriet Dart, and British No. 1 Katie Boulter despite this. The final lineup for this crucial match is highly anticipated by fans.
The victor moves on to the Billie Jean King Cup finals, while the loser goes to the play-offs, following an exciting matchup. Le Portel’s indoor clay courts provided the backdrop, mirroring the surface of the forthcoming Stuttgart tournament.
Porsche-sponsored Raducanu’s possible involvement adds intriguing, if questionable, details. When one considers her previous results, the fact that she advanced from a first-round loss in 2022 to a quarterfinal raises interest in this erratic matchup.
Emma Raducanu decided to concentrate on improving her fitness instead of competing in this year’s French Open qualification.
She had to go through the qualifiers because her ranking was insufficient to grant her direct entry into the competition and she was not given a wildcard. The Briton withdrew before new matches were scheduled to begin, even though she had originally been agreed to compete in the qualifying draw.
Soeaking to Times tennis journalist Stuart Fraser. Raducanu says,“It’s important for me to keep laying on the foundations and I will use the time to do a healthy block before the grass and subsequent hard court seasons to give myself a chance to keep fit for the rest of the year.”
Since being defeated in the first round of the Madrid Open by Maria Lourdes Carle, Raducanu has not taken part in a competitive match yet again.
Improving athletic fitness
After leading Great Britain to victory over France in the Billie Jean King Cup, she had such a great start to the clay-court season. However, the straight-sets loss was another shattering blow to her confidence. Despite the recent playing outcomes, she declared, “Tennis-wise I have improved because I feel like I am playing the best tennis of my career and my life.”
Raducanu has struggled with consistency and fitness since her remarkable victory at the 2021 US Open at the age of 18, and she has failed to advance past the second round of a grand slam.
She had surgery in May 2023 on both wrists and one ankle, and she missed Wimbledon and the French Open that same year in order to heal.
Still ranked 212th in the world, she had intended to use this season to regain her playing form. The main draw of the French Open will begin on May 26. Raducanu is still listed as the third alternate, so if three players cancel, she might still be able to compete.
British tennis sensation and the surprise 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu has come a long way down. She is currently ranked 133rd in the world following hand and ankle surgeries. “I’ve been very high and very low,” as she told The Times. But a comeback is definitely on the cards.
Recently photographed working out in a gym, she said on her Instagram that it was ‘nice to be reintroduced’ to the equipment after several months away from physical exertion due to her injuries.
She was forced to sit out the French Open and Wimbledon after surgery on her hands and her ankle.
She had been ailing earlier, too. But, despite suffering from ailments, she won five out of 10 matches in 2023, including an amazing run to the BNP Paribas Open fourth round at Indian Wells, where she lost to defending champion Iga Swiatek in March.
Raducanu’s spirit remained unbroken despite a difficult defeat against Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April.
However, she was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open later in April due to an injury on her right hand. That’s when she decided on surgery.
“I tried my best to manage my pain and play through it”, but she couldn’t any more, she said, speaking from her hospital bed in May.
She missed most of the clay and grass court seasons due to injuries, which caused her ranking to slip to 133rd. She also split with her coach, Sebastian Sachs, which added to the difficulties. Nevertheless, she is optimistic about the future.
Emma Raducanu now at what stage of recovery?
The stubborn 20-year-old tennis star is recovering well. Her engrossing films demonstrate how she uses red light treatment to promote muscle repair and lessen inflammation while she trains assiduously.
Here’s a look back at her recent record.
Tournament
Result
Opponent
Citi Open (Quarter-finals)
(August 2022)
Lost 7-6, 6-1
Liudmila Samsonova
Canadian Open (1st Round) (August 2022)
Lost 7-6, 6-2
Camila Giorgi
Western & Southern Open (August 2022)
Defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 6-4
Serena Williams
Defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5
Victoria Azarenka
Lost to Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4
Jessica Pegula
Now she is hoping to do better and wow the world again on the WTA tour though she is likely to miss the US Open.
Emma Raducanu’s agent, Max Eisenbud, expects her to win more Grand Slams.
Speaking to The Tennis Podcast, he said: “You don’t just accidentally win the US Open the way she did, you have to be great to do what she did.
“And I think she will settle and things will get more calm for her and I think she’ll make more deep runs and I think that she’ll win more Grand Slams when it’s all said and done.”
He added: “Do I think that she will be in the top five of the world for 20 years?
“I don’t think so, I don’t think she’s that, but I think she will win more Grand Slams, I think she will compete to be in the top when things settle down.”
Tennis legend Billie Jean King still marvels at the way Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open.
“When Emma Raducanu won, it was fantastic,” she told Sky Sports. “Just think about this, she won 10 matches in a row, she did not lose a set. She won every single one of those 10 matches in straight sets. I don’t think anyone comes close to that.
“As she gets older, no matter what happens to her life she’ll always have this US Open title – always and forever. And the way she did it: Wow! It’s amazing.”
