Raducanu slams tournament organization after "freak" injury in Auckland
WTA
Emma Raducanu had an incredibly unlucky start to the 2023 season as she had to retire from her second match of the year against Viktoria Kuzmova.
Raducanu chose to start the new season at the ASB Classic. She signed up for the WTA 250 event in Auckland in hopes to build her form ahead of the Australian Open, but it ended in a disaster.
In the first round, the British player met teenage prodigy Linda Fruhvirtova. She lost the first set, but was then able to turn the match around, winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The 2021 US Open champion played her second match at the 2023 ASB Classic in Auckland, and despite winning the first set against Viktoria Kuzmova 6-0, she had to retire after two sets.
Her retirement came after she rolled her ankle on the court, which she described as slippery. She spoke about her injury after her retirement and was obviously disappointed, as she was happy about her level until that point.
"I've put in 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."
Raducanu also spoke about the organization of the 2023 ASB Classic in Auckland, which has been plagued by rain throughout the week, and it's easy to say that she was less than impressed, even though she was happy about the crowd.
"The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest, it's not a surprise that this happened to someone ... we'll assess over the next few days and see what the next steps are."
"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."
