Emma Raducanu’s 2025 season couldn’t have started worse. Due to a back injury, she had to withdraw from her opening tournament in Auckland. It’s such a shame for her as injuries have greatly hindered her career. Raducanu ended the 2024 season strong, winning three matches at the Billie Jean King Cup without dropping a set. Back issues have made her withdraw from tournaments quite a few times over the years.
Setback for the Australian Open
The 2021 US Open champion has failed to go past the second round of the Australian Open for the past three years in a row, and performing well there would have been her early season aim. However, this injury has put her on the back foot as she won’t get any match practice heading into the Slam. Hopefully, this withdrawal is just precautionary and nothing serious.
Emma Raducanu’s injuries are not surprising. She skipped the French Open to avoid playing qualifiers and later skipped the Canada Masters and Cincinnati Masters for similar reasons. Retired pro players in the commentary have criticized her for this. Relying on wild cards and competing at a high level without proper conditioning has likely contributed to her recurring injuries.
That said, some players are naturally injury-prone regardless of conditioning. Raducanu recently hired a new physiotherapist, who has a serious job on his hands. Raducanu’s junior career was riddled with injuries as well. At this point, her winning the US Open as a qualifier is even more remarkable because she somehow played three consecutive weeks of matches without her body breaking down. The US Open is not just the only title of Raducanu but it is also her only final appearance at the Tour level. However, she is only 22 and age is on her side if she can find a way to remain injury-free for long stretches. In 2024, she showed flashes of being an excellent player whenever her body cooperated.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
