Emma Raducanu injury fears increase ahead of Australian Open
The British star has pulled out of another match.
Concerns around Emma Raducanu’s fitness have increased further after the British star pulled out of another warm-up match before the Australian Open.
The former US Open champion was set to take on Mirra Andreeva in the Kooyong Classic but opted not to play.
She withdrew from a charity match earlier in the week and was understood to have been feeling ‘sore’ following practice on Monday.
The Australian Open will be just Raducanu’s second tournament back from wrist and ankle surgery which decimated her 2023 season and it has been reported she is merely being cautious after such a long time away rather than being ready to pull out of the year’s first Grand Slam as well.
The 21-year-old made her comeback in Auckland last week, losing in the second round.
Meanwhile, British men’s No.2 Dan Evans was beaten in the last 16 of the Adelaide International by Alexander Bublik 4-6 6-2 6-1 yesterday.
British No.4 Jack Draper saved two match points as he reached the quarter-finals in Adelaide with a comeback 5-7 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (9-7) victory over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic which lasted three hours and 39 minutes.
British No.1 Cameron Norrie beat Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 to reach the ASB Classic quarter-finals in Auckland.
In Australian Open qualifying, Oliver Crawford reached round two with a 6-3 3-6 6-1 victory over Ilya Ivashka in his first match as a British player having switched nationality from the US last week.
Harriet Dart is also through after a straight-sets win over Nuria Brancaccio. Fran Jones progressed 6-2 6-4 against Margaux Rouvroy but Heather Watson lost to Lulu Sun.
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