Published: 11:08, April 27, 2023 | Updated: 11:10, April 27, 2023
Raducanu pulls out of Madrid before first round
By Reuters

Emma Raducanu of, Great Britain, serves to Bianca Andreescu (not in photograph), of Canada, in the first set of a match during the Miami Open tennis tournament, on March 22, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (PHOTO / AP)

MADRID - Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu withdrew from the Madrid Open shortly before she was due on court to play Viktoriya Tomova in the first round on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old British player cited an injury to her right hand as the reason for her withdrawal.

It is the latest setback for Raducanu who has struggled for form and fitness since her fairytale run to the title at Flushing Meadows in 2021 as an 18-year-old qualifier.

READ MORE: Andreescu downs Raducanu in Miami Open battle

She lost in the first round in Miami and Stuttgart and by missing Madrid she will likely fall outside the top 100 in the WTA rankings for the first time since her stunning breakthrough.