British number two Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from her first-round match against Robin Montgomery at the Auckland Open.
World number 56 Raducanu, who had reached the last 16 at the last two editions of the tournament, said she had “tried my best to be ready” after pulling out.
“I love Auckland and the fans here, but unfortunately I picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time,” added the 2021 US Open winner.
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Australian Open 2025: Will Raducanu play?
Raducanu’s next match is now almost certain to be at the Australian Open, which starts on January 12, with the women’s final on January 25.
Her ranking means she will not be seeded at the first Grand Slam of the year, where she will make her fourth consecutive appearance.
The 22-year-old has been knocked out in the second round on each of those three previous campaigns. Her only run beyond the second round at a major since triumphing in New York was an appearance in the fourth round at Wimbledon 2024.
Raducanu injuries
Now working with fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, Raducanu’s main concern may be a lack of competitive build-up after playing only three matches since spraining ligaments in her foot in September.
All three of those contests ended in victories for Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, and Raducanu also suffered a first-round defeat at the 2024 US Open that month to current world number 81 Sofia Kenin.
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Raducanu had returned to the tour last January following eight months out, including operations on both of her wrists and her left ankle.
She withdrew from the Miami Open in March because of lower-back pain, saying she did not “want to risk anything happening”.
Auckland Open: Burrage through
World number 24 Katie Boulter is the British number one, while there is a British presence at the Auckland Open in the form of Jodie Burrage.
The British number seven and world number 179 lost in qualifying but was given a spot in the main draw after Belgium’s Elise Mertens suffered an injury.
Burrage took advantage with a 6-3 6-3 win over wildcard New Zealander Vivian Yang, adding that her appearance had come as a short-notice surprise on a “crazy day”.
