Emma Raducanu has broken her silence after falling victim to the brutal Wuhan heat and retiring from her first-round match against Ann Li last week.
Wuhan was forced to suspend play on its outdoor courts due to extreme heat, with Raducanu sharing an screenshot on her social media profiles implying that she had been struggling to practice in the humid conditions, where 34 degrees ‘feels like’ 37 degrees.
The 22-year-old struggled from the off against Li and her energy levels looked increasingly concerning heading into the second set as she struggled to make it a competitive match.
At 4-1 down in the second, Raducanu called for a medical timeout, and had her blood pressure checked on-court.
In worrying scenes, the former US Open champion was slumped in her chair during the process, and looked to be challenged by the conditions.
After her checks, Raducanu retired, shaking hands with Li and the umpire before heading off court.
She has now spoken for the first time since pulling out, writing on Threads: ‘Last day at the doctor’s in Wuhan… feeling better now.
‘Shame I couldn’t continue there but thank you for the messages.’
Raducanu accompanied her message with a picture of herself in the referenced doctor’s office wearing a hoodie with sunglasses on.
With the end of her brief travails in Wuhan, Raducanu calls time on what she may few as a somewhat underwhelming Asian swing.
The Briton opted to feature in the Korea Open – which had been her last event the previous year – instead of joining up with her Billie Jean King Cup team-mates in Shenzen, in a late move which shocked captain Anne Keothavong.
But with ranking points to defend and a view to firming up her budding relationship with new coach Francisco Roig, Raducanu was keen to stick to tour events and try and boost her spot in the standings.
A cagey meeting with Barbora Krejcikova in the second round however put paid to that possibility.
Raducanu was knocked out in three sets after having failed to convert match point in any of her three opportunities in the second.
Eerily, Raducanu was defeated in almost exactly the same manner a week later in Beijing, where her hopes of making a deep run at the China Open were brought to a halt by Jessica Pegula.
Raducanu is a fluent Mandarin speak and her Chinese mother Renee has been travelling with her during a spell on the tour in which she will have desperately hoped to play her best tennis in front of scores of fans.
But Raducanu will now be forced to decide whether to continue in China at the upcoming WTA 500 event in Ningbo, or call time on her 2025 season.
