The Italian Open was seen as a good opportunity for Raducanu to continue that strong form heading into the French Open later this month. But she faced a tough opening-round tie against Canadian Andreescu, who has been on a resurgence the past few months.
The 2019 US Open champion made her comeback to the WTA Tour in Stuttgart last month where she admitted to almost quitting the sport over the pressure she felt after the early success in her career. The parallels between the pair set up an interesting battle, but Raducanu appeared to be struggling with an injury from the outset.
Andreescu quickly picked up a double break in the first set before Raducanu called for a medical time out to treat her back issue. The injury has plagued Raducanu’s short career in recent months but she returned to the court to continue the match with Andreescu taking the first set.
JUST IN: Emma Raducanu left in hysterics after accidentally swearing in Italian
Down 2-1 in the second set, Raducanu then called for the physio again where she could be heard saying, “I can’t move”. The British teenager eventually retired with Andreescu progressing to the next round.
And the Canada tennis star had some words of encouragement for Raducanu over her injury issue.
“It’s definitely been difficult, but I feel like I’m slowly getting to my top form which I’m very pleased about,” Andreescu told Amazon Prime. “I hope Emma’s injury, or whatever she’s dealing with, isn’t so bad.
DON’T MISS
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
