Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the upcoming Austin Open as injuries and illness continue to plague the young Brit.
The 20-year-old has played just four matches this season, having turned her ankle in Auckland and taken-time off following the Australian Open.
Now, in her latest setback, Raducanu has revealed she is suffering from tonsillitis and has taken the decision to miss the Texas event.
“I’m sorry to have to withdraw from the ATX Open,” said the British number one.
“I am currently suffering from tonsillitis and am unable to compete this week.”
Since her famous victory at the US Open in 2021, Raducanu has not things her own way and is still searching for her second career title.
And this has led some fans to debate whether she is heading in the same direction as the renowned Anna Kournikova – who became a global sensation after bursting on the scene as a teenager.
Raducanu has garnered endorsement deals galore since winning her first Grand Slam and is among the highest earning female sportspeople on the planet.
But amid her new found fame, Raducanu has struggled on the court – leading some to suggest she should focus more on her tennis than her brand.
After a fan took to Reddit to question whether Raducanu was going down the same path as Kournikova, a number of people joined in with the conversation.
“Ads for every brand in the world but rarely signs up to play any actual tournaments,” said the user who started the thread.
“While it’s great that she’s getting these endorsements, how is she always not fit?”
In response, one fan said: “Think she’s just really injury prone sadly, it’s why she barely played any junior tournaments too.”
Meawhile, another stressed: “Raducanu needs to really work on her fitness more than her game. It sucks to be injured so much but she’s also really young. If she can build her strength through proper training and work hard on her fitness, I’d say that’s the right way to go vs her current cycle of playing and getting injured.”
Yet, others pointed out that Raducanu has already won more titles than Kournikova did in her entire career and that it wasn’t fair to compare the two.
“Anna Kournikova has zero singles career titles. So Emma already has her beat by one. But her injuries are definitely concerning.”
Raducanu is scheduled to play the prestigious Indian Wells tournament in 10 days time, though it remains to be seen whether she’ll be fit in time.
Indian Wells is the most attended tennis event outside of the four majors and carries a whopping 1000 ranking points for the winner.
The Brit did not qualify automatically for the tournament but was granted a wildcard to participate.
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