Raducanu retires in Wuhan Open first round

Before retiring from her first-round match against American Ann Li at the Wuhan Open, British number one Emma Raducanu had her blood pressure and temperature checked.

As she lost 6-1 4-1 in China, Raducanu appeared to struggle with the hot and humid conditions and appeared to lack energy.

After falling into a double break before retiring, the world number 30 called the trainer.

Due to the heat, play was halted on all outdoor courts on Monday.

A screenshot of Raducanu’s phone showed a 34C temperature.

In the third round of the Shanghai Masters this week, defending champion Jannik Sinner limped home with cramp, and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic vomited following his victory over Yannick Hanfmann.

Raducanu’s chances of winning the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, would have increased with a strong win in Wuhan.

In the opening set of the 2021 US Open, Li broke in the first game before winning six more games, dropping just one point on serve.

At the start of the second set, Raducanu appeared worn out as she recovered from three double faults to keep serve.

However, she was unable to convert two break points in the following game, and Li was forced to take a 2-1 lead after a string of sluggish unforced errors.

Raducanu requested a medical timeout before retiring, and Li received another break as a result of a double fault.

“I’m hoping she’s better,” I said. You could tell toward the end that she wasn’t moving as much, said world number 46 Li.

In the second round, she will face Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-2 on Monday.

Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion from Japan, defeated Leylah Fernandez of Canada by 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to round two on Tuesday.