Emma Raducanu is in major doubt for the Australian Open after suffering an ankle injury at the Auckland International on Thursday night.
The former US Open champ left the court in tears after retiring hurt at one-set all against Viktoria Kuzmova.
The match had been moved indoors due to rain in Auckland, and the 20-year-old Raducanu appeared to slip on the indoor surface during a rally.
The Brit lashed out after the match, saying: “It’s difficult to take. 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.”
Raducanu had dominated the first set 6-0 before Kuzmova hit back to take the second 7-5. Raducanu then called it quits after seeing the trainer before the third.
The 20-year-old shocked the tennis world in 2021 when she won the US Open as a qualifier. It marked the first time in tennis history that a qualifier had won a grand slam.
