Emma Raducanu has reportedly pulled out of her second exhibition match in three days on 'precautionary' measures just days before the Australian Open gets underway.
The 2021 US Open champion made her long-awaited comeback from injury last week in Auckland.
She had been out of action since April last year having undergone surgery on both wrists as well as an ankle.
Raducanu's plan to return also suffered several setbacks in her road to recovery and there were doubts she would be back in time to play Down Under.
Emma Raducanu has only played two matches prior to the Australian Open
GETTY
But the former British No 1 was able to make her return to the court in Auckland last week to beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse in three sets.
Raducanu also put on a strong display against world No 23 Elina Svitolina before losing in the final set.
Despite the early defeat, Raducanu appeared pleased with her performance and where her game was at heading into the first major of 2024.
But Raducanu's preparations for the Australian Open have suffered a setback after she pulled out of her second exhibition match in three days.
The 21-year-old was originally set to face Naomi Osaka at Melbourne Park earlier this week before the Japanese tennis star pulled out, but Raducanu then followed suit when her new opponent was confirmed.
She was said to have felt a 'little sore' from the previous day's training session and decided to rest.
But Raducanu has now pulled out of the Kooyong Classic too, where she was set to face Paula Badosa.
According to the i, Raducanu's withdrawal is purely precautionary but raises doubts on her match fitness for the Australian Open.
Emma Raducanu has had a number of injury issues
PA
She will find out her Australian Open first-round opponent on Thursday at 2am GMT.
Tim Henman has already warned fans not to put too much pressure on Raducanu for the first few months of her return to competitive tennis.
“It’s massively exciting to have Raducanu coming back,” Henman said.
“I think it's important that everybody around tennis who's a fan, who's excited to see Raducanu back on the court, manages their expectations.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Emma Raducanu is in the main draw for the Australian Open
PA
“She's been out for a long, long time and she's still massively inexperienced. She's played so few tour level events, she's played so few matches in her whole professional career.
“So for me, from, let's say, the first three, four months of the year, I think if she could stay injury free and play a whole series of tournaments without any setbacks, I think that would be fantastic because there is no doubt about her ability."
Henman added: “She's an incredible tennis player. She's working hard to build her physical resilience so that she can be out on court, be on tour and compete.
“I think patience is a really important word for Raducanu herself, but also all the people that are excited to see her come back.
“She's 21 years of age. She's got the next ten years in front of her. She just needs to build that foundation so that she can get out on tour and compete and show the undeniable talents that she has.”
You may like
