Emma Raudcanu will miss the French Open and Wimbledon after undergoing surgery to deal with “a recurring injury on a bone of both hands,” she revealed Wednesday.
“It is safe to say the last 10 months have been difficult,” she wrote. “I tried my best to manage the pain and play through it for most of this year and end of last year.”
Raducanu says that she reduced her practice load, missed “weeks of training” and cut last season short in order to try and heal the injury. But “unfortunately it’s not enough.” She has had a “minor procedure” on both hands to resolve the issues, she wrote.
“I’m disappointed to share that I will be out for the next few months,” she continued, writing that she will undergo an additional procedure on her ankle.
The top British player has been managing the wrist injury for the last few months, and she withdrew from the Madrid Open last week shortly before her opening match.
It’s unknown when Raducanu will return to competition, although she noted that she will “miss the summer events.” That puts her out for both the French Open and Wimbledon, and possibly for the US Open as well.
“I tried to downplay the issues so I thank all my fans who continued to support me when you did not know the facts,” she wrote. “Looking forward to seeing you all back out there.”
♥️ pt1 pic.twitter.com/sS7Url5j0p
— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) May 3, 2023
Coco Gauff advanced to the third round at the Australian Open after besting Emma Raducanu, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), in a blockbuster matchup.
The victory was the 100th WTA win of Gauff’s career. The 18-year-old American is the youngest woman to reach that milestone since 2009, when an 18-year-old Carolina Wozniacki did so.
Gauff took a 4-2 lead in the second set before Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, battled back to grab a 5-4 advantage. But Gauff, who made her first Grand Slam final at the French Open last year, held firm.
Coco Gauff defeated Emma Raducanu in straight sets to advance to the third round of the Australian Open 👏 pic.twitter.com/UcOyfwQUdi
— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2023
“I stayed calm when I needed to and made the serve when I needed to. Held when I needed to. I think that definitely comes with maturity,” Gauff said. “I feel like in the past, I would have freaked out in that moment.
“I just told myself to hang in there. Emma was playing really good tennis towards the end of the match.”
Gauff reached No. 7 spot in the world rankings to end 2022, a career high. Raducanu had jumped to a career-high No. 10 last summer, but after struggling with injury she has dropped to No. 77.
“Honestly, the whole match was great,” Gauff said. “In the beginning I think we both started off rocky, but I think the match was good quality for the most part. Considering the circumstances—I imagine both of us were nervous, as this was a long-anticipated match-up basically since the draw came out. So I’m glad that it was a good match for you guys.”
For the two teenagers, the match came with the weight of expectations. With the retirement of some of the world’s best in 2022, including Serena Williams and Ash Barty, the next generation of tennis is beginning to take hold.
“Fans are eager to see a new face of the game,” Gauff said. “I feel like we handled the pressure pretty well, and kudos to Emma—I know she had a tough week in Auckland, so really good for her to be able to play this level after such a scary moment.”
Raducanu’s status for the Australian Open had been in doubt. The 20-year-old British star had retired from a second-round match in Auckland two weeks ago with an injury, and she was on crutches 10 days before the year’s first major began. But she battled back Tuesday despite going down early.
“We’re going to be playing each other many times in the future, as we’re both young and coming,” Raducanu said. “You know, like, we’re going to be the next generation.”
Emma Raducanu is moving on in Madrid after cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk Sunday.
The No. 9 seed has now recorded five victories in her first seven tour matches on clay.
Dropping only 3⃣ games!
— wta (@WTA) May 1, 2022
🇬🇧 @EmmaRaducanu is all smiles as she continues her straight-sets run in Madrid 😃#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/p0su2UreoU
Reigning U.S. Open champion Raducanu won seven straight games during one stretch of the match, fully taking control of the contest. Winning 88. 9 percent of her first-serve points, Raducanu overpowered Kostyuk for a dominant second-round showing.
The 19-year-old will next face Anhelina Kalinina, who upset Garbiñe Muguruza, in Mutua Madrid Open’s third round.
Iga Swiatek’s hot streak continues, with the World No. 1 defeating Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinal round at the Stuttgart Open on Friday for her 21st straight win.
The victory, which took one hour and 45 minutes, marks Swiatek’s tour-leading 28th win of the season and her 13th consecutive straight-set triumph.
With the win against No. 12 Raducanu of Great Britain, the Polish star has now won her last seven matches against top 20 opponents. Swiatek last registered a top-20 loss against then-No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in January.
Her run continues 💥
— wta (@WTA) April 22, 2022
🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek eases past Raducanu and extends her 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 run to 21 match wins in a row!#PorscheTennis pic.twitter.com/SV0eD9Fz8g
Raducanu didn’t make it easy for Swiatek, pushing her opponent through both sets.
Ultimately, though, the World No. 1 pulled out the win, besting Raducanu in first serve points won and second serve points won, with both stats hovering around 70 percent. Swiatek also saved four of five break points, while Raducanu saved just one of four.
Friday’s win advances Swiatek to the semifinal at the German tournament, where she will face Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in their first-ever meeting.
A man was found guilty of stalking US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu and given a five-year restraining order on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old Amrit Magar was also sentenced to an 18-month community service order that will include 200 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, he will be monitored by an electronic tag and under curfew for eight weeks.
On three separate occasions, Magar visited the 19-year-old Raducau’s home, loitering outside and leaving unwanted gifts and cards. Stolen property was also reported in a trial heard last month. On one occasion, he decorated a tree on the property with Christmas lights. He would also leave things, like a bouquet of flowers with a personal note and a map that showed the 23 miles he had walked from his home.
He was arrested after a doorbell camera alerted Raducanu’s father to his presence. Magar was found guilty during a trial at Bromley Magistrates’ Court.
According to the trial, Magar told police officers that he liked Raducanu “because of her high-profile status after her victory in the US Open.”
Raducanu made history last year as the first qualifier to win the US Open. She was named the 2021 BBC Sports Personality of the Year for her accomplishments.
Under the restraining order, Magar is banned from contacting Raducanu or her parents, coming within a mile of their street or attending any of Raducanu’s practices or competitions.
Raducanu recently had to retire from the Gaudalajara Open with a hip injury.
As the second round of the Australian Open continued, so did the upsets for many of the tournament’s top players.
World No. 3 Garbiñe Muguruza fell 6-3, 6-3 to world No. 61 Alizé Cornet in 87 minutes. Cornet handled Muguruza easily, winning 83 percent of her first-service points. The 31-year-old had a mere 16 unforced errors to Muguruza’s 33.
It’s Cornet’s 10th win over a top five player in her career.
The Frenchwoman will face off against No. 29 seed Tamara Zidansek in the third round for the first time.
Sixth-ranked Anett Kontaveit found herself upended by Clara Tauson in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
At 19 years old, Tauson is currently ranked 39th in the world. Just her second match against a top 10 player, it’s her first top 10 win as she advances to the third round of a major for the first time.
Tauson forced 27 unforced errors out of Kontaveit while conceding just 13 of her own.
“I think everything was working,” Tauson said with a smile in her post-match press conference. “I felt really comfortable on court. It was a nice court to play on. The weather was really good today. I just felt really good out there. Just went for everything and it worked today.”
The teenager will meet No. 27 Danielle Collins in the third round.
Another upset found its way late in the second round as Danka Kovinic took down No. 17 seed Emma Raducanu 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. It’s Kovinic’s fourth career top 20 win.
Having lost in the second round of six previous majors, it’s Kovinic’s first time advancing to the third round of a Grand Slam.
History maker 🇲🇪@DankaKovinic upsets Emma Raducanu 6-4 4-6 6-3 to become the first player representing Montenegro to reach the third round of a Grand Slam.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2022
🎥: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/wauKCPG1KU
The player from Montenegro will face off against Simona Halep in the third round.
Raducanu, who was struggling with a deep blister on her racket hand, said after she had to resort to a slice.
“There were some people in my team that maybe didn’t want me to play but I wanted to go out there & fight through it, see how far I could get,” she said. “I discovered tools about myself and my game that I didn’t know I had.”
No. 12 Elena Rybakina is also out after her second round match. Rybakina was forced to retire in the second set, having gone down 6-4 against Shuai Zhang.
Iga Swiatek managed to stay the course on Tuesday, sealing a 6-2, 6-2 win over Rebecca Peterson. It’s the No. 7 seed’s third straight year advancing to the third round at Melbourne Park.
Swiatek will face off against No. 25 Daria Kasatkina in the third round.
Emma Raducanu passed her first Australian Open test on Tuesday, defeating Sloane Stephens in three sets, 6-0, 2-6, 6-1.
The win gives the 17th seed a 11-1 record in Grand Slam matches.
A Melbourne moment to remember ✨
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2022
🇬🇧 @EmmaRaducanu opens her account at the #AusOpen with a first round victory over Sloane Stephens, 6-0 2-6 6-1.
🎥: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/UeUbmdRy18
Raducanu ripped through the first set in 17 minutes, making just two unforced errors. Stephens, the 2017 US Open Champion, broke Raducanu in the opening game of the second set on her way to pulling even.
“It was a tough match-up really for a first round, but I was just very happy,” Raducanu said after the match. “I knew there was going to be some very long rallies and her athleticism is really up there, so I was having to work extremely hard for my points, but I’m so happy to have got through.
“I think it was a really high-quality match, with some very long rallies. I’m very happy to come through against a great champion like her.”
It was a good way to rebound for Raducanu, who struggled at the Sydney Tennis Classic earlier this month, falling to Elena Rybakina 6-0, 6-1.
Raducanu will play world No. 98 Danka Kovinic in the second round.
As the Australian Open quickly approaches, some of tennis’ top names are struggling to find their footing Down Under, with Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Raducanu each dropping their first-round matches.
World No. 2 Sabalenka lost 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 to Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson in the first round of the Adelaide International on Monday. Peterson, currently ranked No. 395 in the world, secured her first career win over a top-five opponent with the victory.
While top-ranked Ash Barty is 7-for-7 in her matches so far this year, Sabalenka has not won in more than two months.
Defending US Open Champion and British No. 1 Emma Raducanu fell 6-0, 6-1 to Elena Rybakina in just 55 minutes at the Sydney Tennis Classic on Tuesday. The match marked Raducanu’s eighth WTA-level main draw after she withdrew from the Melbourne Summer Set to get more preparation time. Raducanu tested positive for COVID-19 in late December.
Immediately following the match, Raducanu hit the practice court.
“Yesterday was pretty much my second time playing competitive points for two months,” Raducanu told reporters after the match. “I’m confident that I can brush it off and keep going and keep working.
“I just want to keep putting myself out there. Even if I keep getting knocked down, it’s just about getting back up and basically falling in front. You’re one step better and you learn more. I’m just at the start of my first season. My goal is to not get too down or too high.”
Elsewhere at the Sydney Classic, Ajla Tomljanovic beat Anna Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-3, setting up a meeting with fifth-seeded Paula Badosa. The Spanish world No. 9 took down Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(1), 6-1 in the first round.
The main draw for the Australian Open will be unveiled Thursday, and the first matches begin Monday.