Emma Raducanu forced to retire injured from Nottingham Open weeks before Wimbledon

There are doubts over Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon preparations after she was forced to retire in her first-round match at the Nottingham Open due to an injury.

The 19-year-old US Open winner took a medical timeout in her first set against Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic after suffering a problem to her left side.

But despite treatment and taking painkillers in an attempt to carry on, she had to pull out, trailing 4-3.

It was the third time Raducanu has had to retire midway through a match since the US Open in September.

It was not the homecoming she would have had in mind, as her first match on home soil since her astonishing triumph in New York lasted only 33 minutes.

The retirement will raise further questions about her fitness for Wimbledon as she continues to struggle with the physical demands of life on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour.

Raducanu is due to play in Birmingham next week before having a clear week in the build-up to Wimbledon, but doubts about her participation have now been raised.

All eyes are now on whether Emma Raducanu will be well enough to play at Wimbledon, as ITV News' Ellie Pitt explains

It was almost 12 months to the day that Raducanu made her WTA Tour debut at Nottingham, with no idea of the heights she would scale over the following few months.

This was a British crowd’s first chance to see the 19-year-old since her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon – which was also ended by injury issues – and subsequent glory in the US.

But the signs of discomfort were there early on as she was seen holding her side in the opening game of the match.

Her first round of treatment came at the first change of ends and although she was able to open a 3-1 lead, it was clear she was in pain and called time having lost three games in a row.

Wimbledon begins on June 27.

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