MADIRD (Agencies): British number one Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Madrid Open with a hand injury hours before her first-round match.
The 2021 US Open champion, hindered by a wrist problem in recent months, was set to face Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova on Wednesday.
Raducanu, 20, is now almost certain to drop out of the world’s top 100.
Her withdrawal came a day after a terse news conference in which she used just 58 words to respond to 16 questions.
Raducanu’s most recent appearance was a one-sided defeat by Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart this month, after which she dropped to 85 in the world rankings.
She skipped Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup defeat by France the week before that to prepare for the clay-court part of the season.
Defeat in Stuttgart was her second in a row in the opening round, after losing to Bianca Andreescu in the Miami Open last month.
Raducanu suffered discomfort in her right wrist against Andreescu and later said she must find a long-term solution.
The injury ended her 2022 season early and returned before Indian Wells this month, when Raducanu reached the last 16 despite preparations also being hampered by tonsillitis.
Raducanu, who has played only nine matches this season and has also struggled with an ankle injury, is due to compete in the Italian Open in Rome starting on 8 May, before the French Open – the second Grand Slam of the year – begins on 28 May.
