Emma Raducanu addresses tearful ending in Auckland as Australian Open remains unclear | Tennis | Sport

Emma Raducanu has addressed her tough end to the ASB Classic in a new Instagram post chronicling her time in New Zealand. The British No 1 opted to start her season in Auckland and got off to a strong start when she came from behind to win her opening match but Raducanu then rolled her ankle in the second round and retired in tears. It remains to be seen whether the new injury will stop her from playing the upcoming Australian Open.

Raducanu suffered a new setback when she turned her ankle at the end of the second set in her match against Viktoria Kuzmova on Thursday and was forced to retire after taking the first set 6-0 and dropping the second 5-7. The world No 78 sobbed as she walked off the court and still doesn’t know whether she will be able to compete in the first Grand Slam of the year as a result.

Following the incident, the 2021 US Open champion criticised the court conditions at the tournament after her match was moved indoors for the rain but the tournament director responded and said they were “checked” and had been fine for other matches. And Raducanu has now addressed her injury for the first time since leaving New Zealand to fly to Melbourne for the Australian Open.

“A [crying face emoji] ending but still going to leave NZ with some fond memories,” the former world No 10 wrote, attaching a series of snaps showing herself travelling to the beach before enjoying the sunset. “Here’s some from last week’s beach afternoon up north after practice.”

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