When it rains, it pours: Emma Raducanu says her wrist problem returned ahead of Indian Wells opener

IANS

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) The British No. 1 tennis player, Emma Raducanu, who has recently recovered from tonsillitis, has said that the wrist injury that she suffered last year has started "to flare back up" again ahead of the ATP 1000 Indian Wells opener.

The British No. 1 has been drawn against Danka Kovinic in the first round of the ATP 1000 Indian Wells Masters on Thursday.

Raducanu had strapped on both of her wrists on the practice court on Wednesday. The 20-year-old pulled out of a charity exhibition event -- the Eisenhower Cup - due to an issue with her right wrist and also cancelled her practice on Tuesday.

"The same issue that I had last year has started to flare back up," Raducanu was quoted by Eurosport. "I've definitely been managing my load. It's something that has just come back, so I'm trying to be as cautious as possible.

"I'm going to do everything I can to be there tomorrow. I think we always play through pain and it's just a matter of how much can you take -- I'm looking forward to hopefully being out there tomorrow."

The Brit has not played a competitive match since her Australian Open second-round defeat to Coco Gauff in January as she missed out on the last month's ATX Open in Austin, Texas due to tonsillitis.

Raducanu burst into the limelight in 2021 as she stormed to a historic US Open triumph in just her second Grand Slam appearance. However, fitness issues have disrupted her progress since then in 2022, when she suffered an ankle injury at the ASB Classic in Auckland, two weeks before the Australian Open.

She further said the illness has been disruptive to her preparation for Indian Wells. "It affected me badly in the short term so I haven't prepared much. I've probably never felt so sick in my life. When it rains, it pours. This and the infection -- it's obviously a challenge.

"My preparation hasn't been ideal. I played on the weekend and then I rested it -- it's how you manage things when you aren't prepared," she said.