Frustrated Emma Raducanu livid with ‘slippery’ court after rolling ankle

Emma Raducanu in action

Emma Raducanu has criticised the indoor courts at the ASB Classic in New Zealand after suffering a potentially costly ankle injury 11 days before the start of the Australian Open.

The British number one, 20, was in tears as she was forced to withdraw from her second-round match against Viktoria Kuzmova at the start of the third set having rolled her ankle.

The contest had been moved indoors due to rain in Auckland, but Raducanu was not happy with the standard of the playing surface.

After the injury and her retirement, Raducanu shared her frustration which was clear for all to see through her tears on court.

“It’s difficult to take,” Raducanu said on stuff.co.nz. “I’ve put a lot of physical work in the last few months and I’ve been feeling good and optimistic.

“So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well. I thought I was playing some pretty decent tennis.

“The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone.

“It’s out of my control and after a very long day of waiting around. But we’ll assess over the next few days and see what the next steps are.”

While the organisers weren’t in Raducanu’s good books she had nothing but kind words for the fans who turned out in Auckland.

“But Auckland overall, it rained a lot this week, so I didn’t get to see much and I thought maybe certain aspects could have been organized better, but overall I had pleasant support when playing outdoors and the crowd made me feel really welcome and at home,” She said.

Raducanu had breezed through the opening set 6-0, but Kuzmova hit back to take the second 7-5.

Raducanu called for medical treatment before the start of the third set, and it quickly became apparent she could not continue.

It will be small consolation that the injury is not a reoccurrence of a previous problem.

Raducanu ended her 2022 season early after suffering a wrist injury in October, but had started 2023 by rallying for a 4-6 6-4 6-2 victory over emerging Czech talent Linda Fruhvirtova, 17, on Tuesday.

 

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