‘Current Solutions Aren’t Very Viable Long-Term’

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 22, 2023

Emma Raducanu is cautious – and not overly optimistic – about the state of her wrist.

The 2021 US Open champion cut her 2022 season short due to a wrist injury, and doesn’t seem to be much better off three months into the 2023 season. She spoke about the status of the injury on Wednesday in Miami, after losing to Bianca Andreescu in a tight three-set battle.

“It’s something I’ve been managing for some time,” she said. “I just need to review after this tournament really and figure out what my next steps are.”

Rest is on the horizon for the current World No.72, as the clay seasons beckons. Raducanu will skip Great Britain’s Fed Cup tie in mid-April on the advice of her doctor, due to the fact that she doesn’t want to switch surfaces in the span of a few days, ahead of her appearance at Stuttgart (which starts on April 17).

“I think because of my existing injuries, the best medical advice was to not switch surfaces at such short notice. So that’s what I’ve been told,” she said.

Raducanu seemed to hint that she needs more treatment, or a second opinion, on the injury.

“Because we have been managing it, keeping on top of it,” she said. “I’m able to play in the short-term. But the current solutions aren’t very viable long-term.”

In the meantime, Raducanu expressed satisfaction in the way she has played of late, given the circumstances. She reached the round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open last week, notching her two biggest wins by ranking since her dream run to the US Open title in 2021.

“I think that I’m doing the right things day to day, which brings me confidence,” she said. “I feel like this year has been difficult in the sense that I have been managing a few existing injuries – that has been annoying and frustrating because I’ve been working as best as I can.

“I feel like I’m enjoying the competition. Yeah, just really, really happy to be on the match court.”