Emma Raducanu is to consult specialists over the "annoying" wrist injury following her first round exit at the Miami Open.
The British No 1 has struggled for form and fitness ever since her incredible 2021 US Open win, where she became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam event. But she's shown flashes of form in America this month, reaching the last 16 at Indian Wells before going down in an epic clash with Bianca Andreescu on Wednesday.
In her longest match of the season, at two hours and 33 minutes, Raducanu went toe-to-toe at the Hard Rock Stadium with her fellow Grand Slam winner. But it was the Canadian who eventually prevailed 6-3 3-6 6-2, winning the last four games of the deciding set.
Raducanu, 20, has already confirmed she will miss Britain's Billie Jean King Cup tie with France in April, instead opting to play the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She also plans to enter Masters events in Madrid and Rome, ahead of the French Open on May 28.
And after her defeat to Andreescu, the world No 72 spoke of her frustration over her current niggle: “It’s something I have been managing for some time, I need to review it after this tournament," she said. “We have been managing it and keeping on top of it but the current solutions aren’t very viable in the long term. It has been annoying and frustrating but I have been enjoying the competition."
She did however, reflect on 'patches' of good form against the Canadian, who herself backed Raducanu to rise back up the rankings. “I think she's playing great tennis," said Andreescu. "I'm really happy that she's back at it and playing like this. If she continues playing like this, she can definitely get back into the top 10."
Comparisons have long been made between the two stars, with Andreescu also winning the US Open in as a teenager in 2019 before having her own issues with injury. Furthermore, both were born in Toronto and have Romanian family, and the 22-year-old implied they could soon sit down and share their experiences.
“We have never talked but definitely I would love to speak to her because of our similarities," said Andreescu. "She's also Romanian. She was born in Toronto, which is super, super crazy. Maybe we can help each other out.”
Raducanu now faces a race against time to be seeded for Wimbledon, which kicks off in July. She's yet to go beyond the second round of a Slam since her triumph in Flushing Meadows, and recently took a break from social media to escape the pressures of outside perception.
