Emma Raducanu’s return is thwarted by another injury setback with her withdrawal from the Miami Open
Emma Raducanu, a prominent player in British tennis, was scheduled to play Wang Xiyu of China in the Miami Open’s opening round on Tuesday. However, the 21-year-old had to withdraw due to an injury.
Emma Raducanu appeared unstoppable as she stood soaking in the euphoria of her historic victory at the US Open, having just recently turned eighteen.
However, it appears that something can happen 2.5 years after that night in New York: injuries. With a lower back problem compounding her recent forced withdrawal from this week’s Miami Open, 21-year-old Raducanu has suffered a string of injuries since winning at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
In an attempt to maintain her encouraging form after making her eagerly anticipated comeback at the Australian Open in January and most recently making it to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the Toronto-born British player was handed a wild card and was scheduled to play China’s Wang Xiyu on Tuesday.
While Raducanu’s comeback attempt was unsuccessful (she lost 6-3, 7-5 to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka), her performance in the fiercely contested match garnered praise and showed off her immense potential.
The child, who was already awarded an MBE, had to miss much of 2023 recuperating from ankle and wrist surgery that had prevented her from being active since May.
But things weren’t simple for Raducanu even before then. Her WTA career was first cut short in 2021 at Wimbledon due to physical issues, right when she was becoming well-known.
Raducanu had to quit the match after reaching the fourth round against Ajla Tomljanovic due to lung troubles.
She was then tormented by a recurrent wrist issue following her victory at the US Open, which led her to undergo surgery last year after she was forced to withdraw from tournaments four times in 2022.
Raducanu, who peaked at number 10 in the global rankings, is currently ranked 288th in the world and hasn’t advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam since winning her first championship in New York.
Raducanu disclosed in December the severity of her injuries, which kept her from doing even the most basic daily duties.
“It was quite challenging,” she said to Sky Sports. “I was genuinely unable to travel. I could never go to the grocery store; just think of how helpless I would be.
It definitely gave me motivation to compete again and helped me value my health in and of itself.
She was frequently criticized for letting her public persona interfere with her on-court career during her problems and the break that followed. Some said that she was being “distracted” by sponsorship offers and business interests.
Distractions are a major factor for talented young players, according to former England rugby boss Eddie Jones.
“The young girl who won the US Open hasn’t performed as well as she could have in the aftermath for a reason.
What have you seen her wearing Christian Dior clothing on? The cover of Vogue, the front page of Harper’s Bazaar, or something else.”
