Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the China Open and revealed the nature of the injury she sustained during her run to the Korea Open last week.
The former US Open champion showed some encouraging form as she made it through to a last eight clash with top seed Daria Kaastkina in Seoul, but she was forced to pull out of that match with a foot problem.
That has led to her withdrawal from the WTA 1000 event in Beijing, with Raducanu confirming the nature of her latest injury in a social media post.
The 2021 US Open champion wrote on X: “Hello, last week in Seoul 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.”
Injuries have dogged Raducanu since her shock triumph at Flushing Meadows three years ago and she spent much of 2023 recovering from surgery to her wrists and ankle.
Now Raducanu could face a fresh spell on the sidelines, with a sprained foot an injury that could see her return to action in a couple of weeks or end her season if it is more serious.
There are three levels of this injury that may be affecting Raducanu:
Grade I – This could take 2 to 4 weeks to fully heal.
Grade II -Take 6 to 8 weeks to heal and may require additional treatments like a splint.
Grade III – Can take 6 to 8 months to heal and fully restore function to the foot.
Raducanu’s social media post suggests she has not suffered a serious injury, but it seems unlikely she will play again in the Asian swing of the WTA Tour, as she was expected to compete in qualifying for the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan next month.
She has been picked to represent Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga in November after playing a key role in securing her nation’s place in the prestigious event as she won two singles matches against France in the Qualifiers in April.
Now she may need to make a call on whether she will be fit to play in that event, with Britain’s opening match against Germany set to be played on November 15.
If Raducanu has suffered a Grade II injury to her foot, she may well be out of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but she did make a vow to play as much tennis as possible in what is left of 2024 last week.
“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,” said Raducanu on wtatennis.com.
“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.”
Last month, she admitted she has not played enough matches since her run to the last-16 at Wimbledon, while hinting it wasn’t just her decision to send time on the sidelines.
“I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything’s automatic.
“I can learn from it. And, you know, manage my schedule slightly differently.
“It wasn’t just me. It was more of like a collective call and that’s what happened, and I can’t really change it.”
Raducanu’s hopes of ending the year on a high may now be ruined by her latest injury, with fitness issues continuing to be as big an opponent as anyone on a tennis court for this unfortunate 21-year-old.
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