Emma Raducanu will not be competing in the Miami Open after sustaining a lower back injury on the eve of the ATP and WTA 1000 tournament.
Raducanu had been aiming to continue her strong showings at Indian Wells in the past two weeks. She was given a favorable match-up to start, facing off against Wang Xiyu from China in the first round. The winner would then go on to face Anna Kalinskaya, the 22nd seed, in the second round.
At the Indian Wells tournament, Raducanu achieved a milestone by winning two matches, marking her first successful return to the tour this year. Despite a loss of 6-3, 7-5 to Aryna Sabalenka, Raducanu displayed resilience and strong shots in a competitive match.
Rather than maintaining momentum and accumulating points to improve her ranking after an eight-month hiatus due to surgeries on her hands and ankle, Raducanu has faced another disappointing setback.
Based on a statement from someone in Raducanu’s team, the injury is not severe. However, she has been experiencing discomfort in her back and did not want to take any chances of making it worse. It is uncertain at this time whether Raducanu will be able to participate in the Billie Jean King Cup match against France next month, which is her upcoming scheduled event.
The previous week, it was announced that she would be joining Britain’s team, along with Katie Boulter, Heather Watson, and Harriet Dart, for the qualifying match in Le Portel. The match will begin on April 12th, giving Raducanu three and a half weeks to rest and train for the start of the clay court season.
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Andy Murray will battle against the experienced Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the men’s draw. Berrettini, a former top 10 player, reached the finals at Wimbledon in 2021 but has struggled with injuries for the past 18 months and is no longer in the top 100 rankings. Recently returning to the court after a seven month hiatus, Berrettini made it to the final of the Phoenix challenger before falling to Portugal’s No 60 ranked Nuno Borges. At last year’s Australian Open, Murray made an impressive comeback from match point to defeat Berrettini in a grueling five-set match.
