January 06, (THEWILL) – British tennis player, Emma Raducanu, is facing a race against time to recover from an ankle injury sustained at the WTA Auckland tournament in order to participate in the Australian Open.
The 20-year-old suffered a grade one sprain in the ankle during a walkover exit against Viktoria Kuzmova and has flown to Melbourne in the hope of being fit for the Grand Slam event, which begins on January 16.
Despite Raducanu’s representatives hoping for a best-case scenario of a grade one sprain, the injury has already disrupted her preparations for the Australian Open, having originally hoped to participate in the WTA event in Adelaide this week. Raducanu expressed her frustration with the fact that her match was played indoors due to rain, with those courts reportedly not being resurfaced ahead of the tournament.
But, Nicolas Lamperin, the tournament director for Auckland, has defended the court conditions, stating that the WTA Supervisor deemed the surface fit for play. He said: “We are obviously very sorry about Emma’s injury. As every player, they work really hard in the off-season, that’s not what you expect when you play a tournament in week one.
“However, injuries happen all the time and it could have happened on outdoor courts as well. We feel sorry about the situation but we also say these courts are fit to play.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
