Emma Raducanu was hoping to make a statement at the Korea Open, which had already been impacted by a number of high-profile withdrawals, including world number one Iga Swiatek, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. However, just days after winning her first match in over a year, the British star was forced to withdraw from her quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina at the Korea Open in Seoul. What happened to her?

After a rain-delayed start, the 21-year-old Raducanu and top seed Kasatkina finally faced off on Saturday. But the match was cut short after just 32 minutes. Raducanu was unable to continue after losing the first set 6-1, bringing an early end to her hopes of reaching the semifinals.

Raducanu began the match with a missed opportunity, squandering two break points before losing her serve in the second game. While she quickly responded by breaking back in the following game, it was the last positive moment for the former world No. 10, as she proceeded to lose the next four games.

Down 1-4, Raducanu had called out for a medical time-out. Although she tried to continue, she seemed to be struggling a bit with moving freely on the court because her left foot was injured. Ultimately, the Brit retired from the match and WTA’s official X handle posted an update:

“I feel sorry for Emma for retiring during the match,” said Kasatkina, who will play Russian No. 4 seed Diana Shnaider or Ukrainian No. 5 seed Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals. “It’s a pity to get injured, especially in the deeper stages of the tournament. I wish her a speedy recovery and get ready for the next tournament.”

Raducanu was previously forced to pull out of her mixed doubles match with Andy Murray at Wimbledon due to stiffness in her right wrist. This latest incident marks yet another disappointing setback for the 2021 US Open champion, who has been hampered by a series of injuries in recent years.

Here’s a list of her injuries:

• In March 2024, the British player withdrew from the Miami Open because of lower back pain.
• During the Australian Open 2024, Raducanu threw up during her second-round defeat to Wang Yafan. She had a stomach bug.
• In May 2024, Raducanu withdrew from the French Open just 24 hours before the event began due to a fitness issue.
• Emma Raducanu was also ruled out of the French Open and Wimbledon in May 2023 after sharing she had undergone surgery on both hands and her ankle.
• In December 2023, she was left in tears as she rolled her ankle while facing Viktoria Kuzmova during the ASB Classic 2023.
• In May 2022, she had an early departure from the Italian Open due to a lower back injury. That year, her injuries also proved to be an issue during Nottingham Open 2022, Korea Open 2022 and Transylvania Open 2022.
• In July 2021, the tennis player struggled with breathing as she faced Ajla Tomljanovic and had to withdraw.

But she has been in better form in the last few tournaments. She reached the SF in Nottingham, QF in Eastbourne, and at the Citi Open. Even in Seoul, she didn’t lose a set against Top-50 players Peyton Stearns and China’s Yue Yuan before this new injury issue. However, these injuries are now literally hampering her goals this season. What are her goals, though, for the remainder 2024 season?

All Raducanu wants now is to finish it on a higher note! She has played 32 matches as of now and won 20 out of them, but she failed to win a title this season. “My goals are finishing this season strong but inevitably to set myself up in the best way possible for next year, because next year I really want to hit the ground running,” said the 21-year-old Brit a few days before her Korea Open withdrawal. But for now, her journey in Seoul has come to an end…

What’s next for Emma Raducanu?

Just a few days ago, during an interview with the WTA Insider, Emma Raducanu said that she always knew there was a “really long block” in Asia at the end of the year. So she didn’t want to overdo herself in the initial phases of this season.

Putting more focus on this part of the season was one of the main reasons behind her decision to skip quite a few tournaments. Next up for her is the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing.

While the fans are keen to see if she can recover fully before taking her flight to Beijing, she said, “I thrive in Asia. It’s where I truly feel like home. So I’m buzzing for that trip even though it’s at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to going out there and trying to take it.”

“Playing in China, I’ve never done that, so that’s going to be a first for me. I feel pretty comfortable in this environment, which is an advantage. I just want to play as much as I can.”

Now tennis fans will have to wait and watch if Emma Raducanu can only heel soon but play without getting injured. It will be great to see her climb the ranking once again, but that can only happen once her injury woes are under control. From stomach bug to leg cramps and surgeries, she has experienced it all. Let us not forget that her junior career was also filled with such issues. So she never really had a consistent run without getting injured.

Do you think Raducanu can finish her season on a high note by clinching a few wins in her favorite part of the season?