Emma Raducanu has declared that players “need to push harder physically” at this stage of the season following her concerning retirement at the 2025 Wuhan Open.
The 2021 US Open winner’s campaign at the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan came to an early and unfortunate conclusion as she retired when trailing Ann Li 1-6, 1-4 in her opening match.
Raducanu appeared to struggle physically throughout the match, which was played in brutal heat and humidity, and she had her blood pressure checked by the doctor in the second set before deciding to pull the plug.
Four days after the match, Raducanu gave an update on her condition as she took to Threads to post a photo of herself sitting on a hospital bed.
The 22-year-old captioned the post with: “Last day at the doctor’s in Wuhan… feeling better now, shame I couldn’t continue there but thank you for the messages.”
Raducanu’s participation at this week’s WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo had been in doubt, but she has recovered in time to compete. On Sunday, Raducanu shared an image from inside a gym on Threads.
The Brit will face 230th-ranked Chinese wildcard Zhu Lin in her opening match in Ningbo on Tuesday.
Emma Raducanu News
Who is Emma Raducanu’s first opponent at the Ningbo Open? 230th-ranked Chinese wildcard Zhu Lin
Raducanu spoke about playing in China ahead of her debut in Ningbo.
“I think it’s a special feeling. I feel very comfortable,” she said.
“I feel like I get amazing support here, which is so nice. I love how invested the Chinese fans are and how much support they give.”
The world No 29 also addressed the physical challenge that comes with competing in the latter part of the season.
“I think where it’s different is just, it’s at the end of the season, so you need to push harder physically, you’re feeling it a bit more, and mentally as well, to just focus. That’s probably the biggest difference,” Raducanu added.
Raducanu spoke to Tennis365 in Wuhan and revealed that being seeded at the 2026 Australian Open is a big motivation for her.
“Being seeded for Australia is a big target for me over the next few weeks,” said the former world No 10. “I think the higher you can go, the better it is, but it is still down to the luck of the draw.
“I’ve just been happy with the improvements in the last few weeks I’ve made in my game, and I just want to keep going with that.”
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The post Emma Raducanu makes ‘need to push harder physically’ statement after health concerns appeared first on Tennis365.
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