26 April 2023 , 13:17
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Emma Raducanu faces an uncertain summer - and the need for a Wimbledon wildcard - after pulling out of the Madrid Masters because of her nagging wrist injury.
The former US Open champion, who reached world No.10 last summer, will now fall out of the world’s top 100. And her plans to play in Rome and then Roland-Garros are now in doubt. There must also be a question mark against her appearing at her home Grand Slam at Wimbledon, where she shot to instant fame by reaching the fourth round in 2021.
The world No.85 had been scheduled to play only her 11th match of her injury-hit season against luck loser Viktoriya Tomova on Wednesday afternoon. But a statement from the tournament organisers on Wednesday morning explained Raducanu’s tense pre-match mood on Tuesday.
“ Emma Raducanu withdraws from the Mutua Madrid Open due to [an] injury in her right hand,” it said.“Get well soon!”
How long her recovery now takes is the issue. Raducanu suffered a fall and twisted her ankle in Auckland on the eve of the Australian Open before losing in the second round in Melbourne. But the tendinitis in her wrist, which has dogged her since the latter stages of last season, is more worrying.
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After losing to Bianca Andreescu in her first match at the Miami Open, the 20-year-old said: "It is something I've been managing for some time.” She also said she would return to London to investigate alternative treatment.
Raducanu pulled out of the Billie Jean King Cup tie against France earlier this month to prepare for the transition to clay. But the wrist injury has prevented her from practising properly over the last few weeks - explaining her terse 58-word press call on the eve of the Madrid Masters. She has lost her last three matches.
Emma Raducanu faces a summer of uncertainty (PA)Raducanu will hold talks with her team over the next few days to decide her next step. The Rome Masters starts on May 9 - with players needing to be in the top 100 to qualify for Wimbledon on May 22. The French Open, where Raducanu won one match on her debut last year, starts in Paris on May 28. She was then slated to play in Birmingham in June before Wimbledon begins on July 3.
Raducanu has been dogged by illness and injury since her incredible US Open win in September 2021.
She showed glimpses of that form by beating two top 20 players - Magda Linette and Beatriz Haddad Maia - in Indian Wells. But her 20-year-old body has never allowed her to get any rhythm or run of consistent results in her first two years on the WTA Tour.