Miami Open: Emma Raducanu withdraws from tournament with lower back injury

Emma Raducanu was knocked out of Indian Wells after being beaten 6-3 7-5 by Aryna Sabalenka in the third round; The Miami Open takes place from March 17 – 31 – watch live on Sky Sports

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Miami Open with a lower back injury.

Raducanu was expected to be in first-round action against China’s Wang Xiyu on Tuesday as she continued her comeback at the tournament, which is live on Sky Sports.

Raducanu was knocked out of Indian Wells after being beaten 6-3 7-5 by Aryna Sabalenka in the third round and she is still yet to win against a top-10 player on the WTA Tour.

Miami features a 96-player singles field with the top 32 seeds in singles receiving a first-round bye. The main draw begins on Tuesday – live on Sky Sports Tennis.

The former US Open champion went down fighting as she was beaten in straight sets by world No 2 Sabalenka having won consecutive matches for the first time since her run to the last 16 of the same tournament last year.

Raducanu has been working with her childhood coach Nick Cavaday following her return from an eight-month absence after surgery on both wrists and ankle.

The 21-year-old, ranked 250th in the world, was scheduled to return to action at the Miami Open after being given a wildcard to play at the 1000 combined tournament.

Raducanu was named in Great Britain’s squad to face France in the qualifying round of the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup from April 12-13 but it is now uncertain whether she will participate.

Captain Anne Keothavong insisted she had a “full-strength team” with British No 1 Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Heather Watson all included.

The winner of the best-of-five tie will progress to the Billie Jean King Cup finals later this year, while the losing nation will compete in the play-offs.

The tie will be played on indoor clay in Le Portel, which is the same surface as the following week’s tournament in Stuttgart, where Raducanu was likely to play as it is organised by Porsche, one of her sponsors, but her participation now remains uncertain.

Last year she lost in the first round while in 2022 she made the quarter-final.