Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the WTA tournament in Monterrey next week and could be a doubt for Indian Wells.
The British number one suffered a minor injury to her left leg during a gruelling first-round match against Daria Saville in Guadalajara earlier this week.
She retired with the problem during the third set having already played for more than three hours and will miss next week’s Abierto GNP Seguros.
In the longest match of the @WTA 2022 season, Emma Raducanu was sadly forced to retire at 5-7, 7-6(4), 4-3 against Daria Saville in Guadalajara#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/bxOrigYu6j
— LTA (@the_LTA) February 23, 2022
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The bigger concern, though, is whether Raducanu will be fit for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells starting on March 9, which is one of the biggest tournaments outside the grand slams.
That will depend on how her recovery goes over the next week. As a seed, the 19-year-old would receive a first-round bye and would not play her first match until March 11 or 12.
It is another physical setback for Raducanu, who has been unable to find any momentum since her stunning US Open triumph.
Guadalajara golden hour ☺️ happy with the work being done👐🐛 pic.twitter.com/9BTQnCkobG
— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) February 19, 2022
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Her pre-season training in December was disrupted by a bout of Covid-19 and she then struggled with a blister on her hand at the Australian Open.
She prioritised a block of training following the tournament in Melbourne before returning this week only to fail to complete a match.
Raducanu’s junior career was affected by a number of injuries and she will hope these issues are not a sign of things to come as she seeks to establish herself on the main tour.
