Raducanu in race to be fit for Australian Open after suffering ankle injury

The Briton slipped on indoor courts in Auckland and said she will assess her injury in the coming days

Zuma / Panoramic

January 5, 2023

Emma Raducanu faces a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open after rolling her left ankle during the ASB Classic in Auckland in Thursday.

Just 10 days before the start of the first Grand Slam of the year, the former US Open champion was in tears after suffering the injury late in the second set of her match with Viktoria Kuzmova on an indoor court after rain forced players inside.

Tough scene in Auckland.

Emma Raducanu turned an ankle and retired at 6-0, 5-7 against Viktoria Kuzmova.

😞 pic.twitter.com/Q5HK3ijzz9
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) January 5, 2023

Raducanu, who won the first 6-0 before losing the second 7-5, was critical of the “slippery” courts and says she will wait to see the extent of her injury.

“It’s difficult to take,” the 20-year-old Raducanu said, quoted by Stuff.co.nz. “I’ve put a lot of physical work in the last few months and I’ve been feeling good and optimistic. So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well. I thought I was playing some pretty decent tennis.

“The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone. It’s out of my control and after a very long day of waiting around. But we’ll assess over the next few days and see what the next steps are.”