Emma Raducanu’s physical struggles came to the fore after the Brit was forced to retire during her opening-round match versus Camila Osorio at the Qatar Open.
World No 25 Raducanu started the match confidently but faded as the contest went on, and world No 80 Osorio was leading 2-6, 6-4, 2-0 when the Brit retired, having just been seen by the doctor on court.
All eyes were on how Raducanu would look physically in her opening match in Doha, with the world No 25 in action just two days after competing in the Transylvania Open final in Cluj.
The 23-year-old had looked far from her best against Sorana Cirstea in the final of the WTA 250 event in Romania, and alluded to ‘health’ concerns after a heavy 6-0, 6-2 defeat in her first final since the 2021 US Open.
Despite those concerns, Raducanu looked in good shape and far from fatigued against her Colombian rival at the start of this contest.
The Brit had beaten Osorio at the Hobart International last month and was dominant throughout parts of the opening set in Doha, losing serve just once while breaking her opponent three times.
However, Raducanu was under pressure right on serve from the start of the second set, and Osorio only needed one break midway through the set to ultimately force a decider.
The 23-year-old then had her blood pressure taken on court after being broken in the opening game of the deciding set, and then retired after Osorio confidently held serve.
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Raducanu’s retirement will come as a huge frustration, especially considering how positive her run in Cluj last week had been.
The Brit rose five places to world No 25 in the WTA Rankings on Monday, her highest ranking since September 2022, and could have been in line to rise further with a strong run at the first WTA 1000 event of 2026.
Raducanu is still provisionally up one place to world No 24 in the WTA Live Rankings, though plenty of players could still overtake her with strong campaigns over the next five days.
Focus will now be on whether the 23-year-old will be fit and ready for the Dubai Tennis Championships, which takes place next week.
The Dubai Tennis Championships is the second of back-to-back WTA 1000 events in the Middle East, with big ranking points and prize money on offer.
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