British tennis star Emma Raducanu was all smiles with fans at Indian Wells ahead of her opening round clash against Danka Kovinic on Thursday.
But the 20-year-old, who has been plagued with injury problems since winning the US Open in 2021, has sparked further fitness concerns after revealing her wrist injury has returned.
The world No.77 had her season cut short in October as she sustained a wrist injury before she pulled out of the WTA 250 event in Austin last month having been struck down with a bout on tonsillitis.
And there were fears that she could miss the Indian Wells after she withdrew from the Eisenhower Cup exhibition event on Tuesday, where she was due to play mixed doubles with compatriot Cameron Norrie.
No details were given over her reasoning, with The Daily Telegraph reporting that the youngster did so as she is being cautious with her body after recovering from what was a heavy virus.
Raducanu also cancelled her practice session on Tuesday, before taking to the court on Wednesday for a one-hour session with coach Sebastian Sachs – where she had strapping on both wrists.
She subsequently took to Instagram where she shared an image of her posing for a selfie with supporters.
Captioning the image, she said: “So nice seeing you.”
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In an interview with BBC Sport after her practice session, Raducanu claimed she was hopeful she would be able to make it through her match with Kovinic.
She revealed: “The same issue that I had last year has stared to flare back up.
“I’ve definitely been managing my load. It’s something that has just come back, so I’m trying to be as cautious as possible.
“I’m going to do everything I can to be there tomorrow.
“I think we always play through pain and it’s just a matter of how much can you take – I’m looking forward to hopefully being out there tomorrow.”
Commenting on her bout of tonsillitis, she remarked: “It affected me bad for the short term so I haven’t prepared much. I’ve probably never felt so sick in my life.
“When it rains, it pours. This and the infection – it’s obviously a challenge. My preparation hasn’t been ideal.
“I played on the weekend and then I rested it – it’s how you manage things when you aren’t prepared.”
Raducanu has been restricted to playing just four games this year, with her last competitive match coming in her second round Australian Open defeat to Coco Gauff seven weeks ago.
