Emma Raducanu pulls out of Miami Open with lower back injury

Raducanu was scheduled to face Wang Xiyu in the first round of the event on Tuesday

Emma Raducanu has pulled ou of the Miami Open (Getty Images)

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Miami Open ahead of her first-round match with a lower back injury.

Raducanu was due to face Wang Xiyu in the first round of the event in Florida on Tuesday but has been forced to pull out, denying her the opportunity to build on a promising run at Indian Wells last week.

The 21-year-old reached the third round before going down 6-3 7-5 to world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka, as her search for a first win over a top-10 player goes on.

Raducanu missed the majority of last season after surgery on her ankle and both wrists – the latest in a long line of injury issues since her shock win at the US Open as a teenager in 2021.

The Guardian have reported that according to a member of Raducanu’s camp, the injury is not serious but she has been feeling pain in her back and did not want to risk worsening it.

She received a wildcard for the Miami Open, with her world ranking having plummeted to 288, but the back injury now means she’s a doubt for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie with France on 12-13 April.

Last week, she was announced as part of Britain’s team alongside Katie Boulter, Heather Watson and Harriet Dart for the qualifying tie in Le Portel.