Emma Raducanu LIVE: British No 1 forced to retire from Nottingham Open match after latest injury setback
Follow for live updates as Emma Raducanu begins her grass-court season against the world No 55 Viktorija Golubic
Follow live updates and reaction after Emma Raducanu was forced to retire due to injury in the first set of her grass-court season in Nottingham. Raducanu was down 4-3 in the first set against Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic as she suffered the latest injury set-back, in what is a huge concern ahead of Wimbledon in three weeks’ time,
Raducanu has suffered with a string of injuries since beginning life on the WTA Tour and needed a medical timeout in the early stages of her clash with Golubic. She received treatment on her left side and took painkillers but continued to look in pain. The US Open champion attempted to carry on but was forced to pull out shortly afterwards.
Afterwards, Raducanu admitted she is a doubt for Wimbledon and said she will undergo a scan to determine the nature of the injury as she faces a race to be fit for the Championships in three weeks’ time.
“I think I pulled something, I am not really sure what exactly happened,” Raducanu said after the match. “I have just come off court, an absolute freak injury. I don’t know what I could have done more about it. That is it. I have no idea (about Wimbledon). It could have just seized up and gone into spasm and then it is really bad for a few days. I have no idea. I cannot diagnose myself. I will get it checked out.”
*Raducanu 3-1 Golubic - Raducanu breaks
Well, whatever that problem was, Raducanu seems to be absolutely fine now. She comes back from the medical timout to play her best tennis of the match so far as she takes a second consecutive break, after hitting some lovely shots into the corners.
Raducanu 2-1 Golubic* - Raducanu takes medical timeout
Raducanu is now on her side as the trainer stretches her left arm.
Raducanu had four minutes of the timeout, which has now concluded.
It looks like she will continue.
Raducanu 2-1 Golubic* - Raducanu calls trainer
The trainer is attending Raducanu and is pressing into her left rib area. Is this another injury?
She’s handed a couple of Ibuprofen but then is asked to lie down onto court.
A medical timeout is called by the umpire.
Raducanu 2-1 Golubic*
Raducanu gets off the mark on her serve with an ace out wide but Golubic produces a nice angle to get back to 30-15 as Raducanu nets looking for the winner down the line. A forehand is wild from Golubic after Raducanu had pressed, before a good serve up the middle is sliced long by Golubic.
A hold... but Raducanu has called for the trainer.
*Raducanu 1-1 Golubic - Raducanu breaks back
Golubic’s forehand misfires a couple of times and Raducanu is immediately handed a couple of break-back opportunities. She steps into a second serve but can’t damage Golubic, before the Swiss saves the second with a clean winner down the line with that one-hander.
Really good hitting from Raducanu on deuce as she gets her reward for aggressive play with a third break point, sealed with a forehand winner. Raducanu had a chance on the backhand looking at a second serve but sent it well long.
Golubic nets on the backhand and then fires wide on the forehand, so on the fourth break point Raducanu is able to level.
Raducanu 0-1 Golubic* - Golubic breaks
Underway! But not the start Raducanu would have wanted. After netting a forehand from the middle of the baseline, it is followed by a double fault out wide. Golubic has a fierce one-handed backhand but drops one into the net for 30-30.
Golubic then steps into a forehand and the power is too much as Raducanu stretches to net. It brings up an early break point, and it goes Golubic’s way as she pins Raducanu deep and then drops a volley over into the open court.
*denotes next server
Nottingham Open 2022: Raducanu vs Golubic
“Please welcome our second seed and US Open champion, Emma Raducanu!”
Raducanu was ranked outside the top 300 this time last year on her last appearance at the Nottingham Open and it’s been some 12 months since.
Both players are out on court and Raducanu will serve first in her first match on British soil since winning the US Open last September.
Nottingham Open 2022: Raducanu vs Golubic
Raducanu’s last outing was her French Open second-round defeat to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Roland Garros, in what was the 19-year-old’s first appearance on the Paris clay. Raducanu came into the clay-court season with few expectations and viewed it as a learning experience, but you would imagine she will be desperate to get a tournament run back under her belt as she returns to grass. Raducanu has not advanced past the quarter-finals of a tournament since winning the US Open last September.
Game, set and match - Raducanu up next
Maria Sakkari has just put the finishing touches on a 6-2 6-3 win over Camila Osorio, as the world No 5 and tournamant top seed progresses safely into the next round.
Sakkari and Raducanu have faced before in the quarter-finals of the US Open as the Greek player fell victim to Raducanu’s sensational run to the title in New York.
“She was very young and upcoming and she did something amazing because she came through qualies and won the entire thing,” Sakkari said ahead of this week’s tournament.
“I don’t really remember that match because it is more than eight months ago that we played. I remember she was fearless, she was going after every ball and that is what helped her win the tournament. She was confident and she was feeling it and she was enjoying herself on court.”
Sakkari’s win means Raducanu will be up next in Nottingham.
Raducanu on challenges of first year on WTA tour
“I am not being so hard on myself and I am really, really enjoying my time right now and also believing in the work I am doing day in, day out,” Raducanu said. “I feel there are enough people who can do that job for me.
“Personally I think I know what I’m doing. I’m trusting what I’m doing and the work I’m doing. I’m still 19 and I’ve already won a grand slam so I can take my time and put things in place because I know my motivation isn’t any less.
“It is still as much but it isn’t always going to be smooth sailing where you just clean up every week. I trust what I do.
“I don’t think anyone would say, ‘I wish I didn’t wish a grand Slam at 18’ because that is what I set out to do when I started playing tennis – and I did that.
“For that to happen very soon definitely comes with a lot of challenges but managing, learning and growing through the adversities that I have faced, I would much rather have that, learn from those experiences and keep building and progressing.
“I am doing the work from that because I did it a bit backwards.”
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