Emma Raducanu not ‘overly concerned' about ongoing back issue after Queen's exit
Raducanu, who officially supplants Katie Boulter as British number one on Monday, planned for next week's Berlin Open to be the next step on her quest to secure seeding at Wimbledon, but required an off-court medical time out before the second set.
The 22-year-old was the last Briton standing in this new WTA 500 event, the first time women's tennis had been played at Queen's since 1973.
'I'm not overly concerned that it's something serious, but I know it's something that's very annoying and needs proper and careful management,' said Raducanu, who revealed she had been taped up for stability and took some painkillers.
Quizzed about whether she was a fitness doubt for Wimbledon, she replied: 'Well, I don't know. Like it's been lingering for the last few weeks, and I have had, like, back issues before. I think it's just a vulnerability of mine. I know I need to take good care of it.'
Defeat to the No.1 seed for Emma Raducanu in the #HSBCChampionships quarter-finals#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/C9hM11oDbY
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 13, 2025
Raducanu faced her toughest test yet in the world number five and Olympic champion Zheng, who opened the match with a double fault and conceded the next point before bouncing back to hold.
The home favourite saved three break points to hold the fourth game and the set remained on serve until a topsy-turvy sixth, when Zheng sealed the first break of the afternoon at the fourth time of asking.
The Chinese competitor then saved two break points to hold before breaking the Briton once more to wrap up the first set.
Zheng initially struggled with her serve, but came back from a double break down in the second set, eventually forcing Raducanu to serve to stay in the match.
Zheng quickly went 40-0 up in the 10th game, but three successive missed service returns left open the door for Raducanu to come back into the contest, ultimately clinching her place in the semi-finals when the Briton's return went long.
Quality performance from Amanda Anisimova to complete our semi-final line-up 👏#HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/fwIGPbeZyx
— HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 13, 2025
Raducanu also endured three interruptions during her service games – twice for problems with Zheng's racket, and another so Zheng could swap her shoes, pauses the Briton admitted were not 'necessarily ideal.'
The new British number one confirmed coach Mark Petchey will be able to join her should the Berlin plan go ahead, but does not know if former coach Nick Cavaday, who stepped back in January due to ill health, will also be on the trip after joining her in London this week.
Raducanu conceded that making the seeding cut for Wimbledon 'obviously helps' when it comes to swerving difficult draws in the early rounds, but added: 'I think maybe my goals have slightly shifted from being seeded to actually improving my game.
'When I play those top players, making it closer and feeling more competitive rather than just feeling, 'OK, I maybe get to the third round of a slam but then lose comfortably to one of the top'.
'I think I'd rather have a more competitive match, even if that means losing first round, second round. I think that, to be honest, is how I feel right now.'
Saturday's first semi-final will see Germany's Tatjana Maria take on second seed Madison Keys, while Zheng will play American Amanda Anisimova.
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The 22-year-old has been struggling with the issue since competing in Strasbourg last month before the French Open and took an off-court medical timeout during her quarter-final loss to Zheng Qinwen at Queen's Club on Friday. Speaking afterwards, Raducanu said: 'It's been lingering for the last few weeks, and I have had back issues before. I think it's just a vulnerability of mine. I know I need to take good care of it. 'I'm not overly concerned that it's something serious, but I know it's something that's very annoying and needs proper and careful management.' A post shared by @emmaraducanu Raducanu had elected to play in the German capital rather than Nottingham after being offered a wild card into the WTA 500 event, which is set to feature nine of the world's top 10. But the former US Open champion will instead prioritise rest and recovery to ensure she is fully fit for Wimbledon. Raducanu's decision means she will miss out on being seeded for her home grand slam but she is understood to be confident of playing in the Lexus Eastbourne Open the week before Wimbledon. Last year, Raducanu claimed the first victory of her career over a top-10 player by defeating Jessica Pegula on the south coast before going on to make the fourth round at the All England Club.
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36 minutes ago
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