EMMA RADUCANU took a medical timeout and struggled with a niggling back injury as she crashed out of the Queen’s tournament.
Seventeen days before Wimbledon opens its doors for the 2025 Championships, the biggest name in British tennis is once again having to manage her body amid physical problems.
After losing the first set of her quarter-final tie with Qinwen Zheng, on the hottest day of the year thus far, the Kent hitter went to the changing rooms to undergo treatment.
It all relates to back spasms she suffered before the French Open and prior to arriving in Paris, the 22-year-old had to overcome her fear of needles to undergo acupuncture to help cure the pain.
It was on these grounds nearly 12 months ago that Andy Murray injured his back and ended up never playing another singles match.
It is not as severe as that but still, those in Raducanu’s camp will be praying this incident does not disrupt her plans as she hopes to play in Berlin next week and then Eastbourne before a fourth appearance in the Wimbledon main draw.
Zheng, the world No.5, won 6-2 6-4 in a drawn-out affair and will now face an American in the semi-finals – it will either be Emma Navarro or Amanda Anisimova on Saturday.
Before walking out into the Andy Murray Arena, Raducanu made a point of taking AirPods out of her ears and putting them away, presumably because she wanted to hear the roar of the public for her entrance.
How Zheng would cope mentally with a packed crowd cheering against her would play a significant role in the outcome of this contest.
The Olympic singles champion, 22, was not exactly in the fans’ good books when she decided in game six, while on break point on Raducanu’s serve, to change her shoes.
The Asian star slipped on the grass and told the umpire that she needed to swap her footwear.
Pimm’s-fuelled punters were not having any of it and slow-clapped while she sat on her chair and booed when she returned to the baseline, even though Zheng apologised several times for the interruption.
Raducanu was unconvincing on her own serve and looked tense and nervous in the opening games and was even questioning some of the calls made by the new electric line calling system.
There were two chances, at 4-2 down in the first set, where she might have broken back immediately but Zheng, a huge star in her homeland, fought off those moments.
Zheng – who had only won FOUR matches on grass before facing the 2021 US Open champion – sealed the first set with 49 minutes on the clock.
It was in bizarre circumstances as she was on the floor, having slipped over again, but Raducanu failed to find the open court, hitting the ball into the net.
A set down, Raducanu went backstage and took a medical timeout as she had treatment on a troublesome lower back region.
During the first set, she could be seen stretching her back during a changeover.
These were worrying scenes but unfortunately a situation that has become all too familiar with Raducanu since that historic Slam win in New York in September 2021.
Perhaps a surge of adrenaline explains how she came out looking like a different player in the second set, racing into a 3-0 and then 4-2 lead, the first break in game one courtesy of a Zheng double fault.
But with the temperature gauge recording 27.5 degrees, Raducanu felt the heat and soon it was 4-4 apiece as she gifted a break to her opponent due to her sixth of seven double faults in the match.
Though she managed to stave off three match points in game 10, Zheng progressed when Raducanu’s forehand sailed long.
