Emma Raducanu to miss Rothesay Classic in Birmingham after suffering injury in Nottingham but appears to be on track for Wimbledon after undergoing scan; "I'm looking forward to being back on the match court soon, though, to enjoy the rest of the grass season"
Friday 10 June 2022 18:08, UK
Emma Raducanu remains on course to play at Wimbledon later this month but will not feature in next week's Rothesay Classic in Birmingham.
The US Open champion was forced to retire against Viktorija Golubic at the Rothesay Open on Tuesday after only seven games due to a side injury.
Raducanu, who was making her first competitive appearance on home soil since her stunning New York triumph, felt discomfort as early as the opening game in Nottingham and was unable to complete the first-round tie.
It had thrown into doubt the hopes of the British No 1 featuring at the All England Club, but a scan appears to have allayed those fears.
"It was disappointing to go out this week with a side injury and unfortunately will no longer be able to play in Birmingham," Raducanu told lta.org.uk.
"I'm looking forward to being back on the match court soon, though, to enjoy the rest of the grass season."
While Raducanu will no longer feature at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham as planned, it is understood she could enter the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, which takes place a week before the action at Wimbledon begins.
To be involved in the Devonshire Park event, the 19-year-old will require a wildcard but this latest update will be a much-needed boost to her.
She conceded she had "no idea" whether she would be fit enough for Wimbledon on Tuesday after being forced to retire for a third time since her US Open victory.
In Raducanu's opening season on the WTA Tour, she has been plagued by a number of fitness issues, with hip and back complaints coupled with blisters afflicting her during the past few months.
Raducanu needs time to mature physically and should hire women experts who understand the female body, Judy Murray, a tennis coach and mother to three-times Grand Slam winner Andy, has said.
"What's becoming increasingly clear is that Raducanu's body needs time to mature," Murray wrote in a column for The Telegraph.
"If you strip away the fact she was catapulted into this amazing success following her US Open triumph last September, she is no different to any other young player in the sense that her body needs time to fill out, become more robust and resilient.
"It's a process that simply doesn't happen overnight, especially when the physical demands on her body are at an all-time high," Murray said, adding that her son Andy suffered from cramping while moving up from the junior circuit to the ATP.
Murray also urged Raducanu to make more use of female expertise in taking care of her health, highlighting the example of Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen who opened up about how menstrual cramps derailed her run at the French Open.
"How many of today's top female players, I wonder, are harnessing the peaks and troughs of their cycle and tailoring it to their training and performance?" Murray said.
"How many could feel more empowered by investing in a women's health physio or specialist and making their entourage that bit more female-centric?"
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