Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Miami Open after suffering a lower back injury in a fresh blow for the British tennis star.
Raducanu, who saw her 2023 season derailed by injury problems and returned in January, was due to face world No.56 Wang Xiyu in the first round on Tuesday.
But the 21-year-old, who reached the third round at Indian Wells last week, will miss the prestigious WTA event in Miami despite being handed a wildcard.
It is not yet known how serious Raducanu’s latest injury is but it could possibly harm her hopes of playing for Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup next month.
Raducanu was out of action for nine months between April 2023 and January 2024 due to problems with both of her wrists and her left ankle.
The 2021 US Open champion, ranked inside the world top 10 in 2022, has played four events this year after making her return from injury in Auckland.
She looked strong at Indian Wells – winning consecutive matches for the first time in a year – before coming up short against world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka.
Speaking after her performance at Indian Wells, Raducanu said: ‘It was a good success, I would say.
‘I think I have handled myself a lot better on the match court. I was a lot more positive and hungry to play, and that showed I think in the tennis that I did play.’
Former British No.1 Tim Henman told Metro.co.uk in February that Raducanu must aim to play at least 20 tournaments this year as she looks to climb back up the rankings from her current position of world No.288.
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