Emma Raducanu back problem still ‘not 100 per cent' ahead of French Open
The British number two had a back spasm while playing in Strasbourg on Wednesday, a similar injury to one she suffered before the Australian Open in January.
Raducanu has been undergoing treatment including acupuncture to ease the problem – despite having a phobia of needles.
'Yeah, it's not feeling 100 per cent,' she said. 'I had a spasm in Strasbourg, and just been trying to manage it as best I can, doing treatment.
'I've been on the practice court last night and this morning. it felt OK, but obviously it's different playing a match. I'm trying to do everything to get up to speed as fast as possible.
'I would say the one before Australia was worse. I feel like this one I kind of caught before it fully locked up.
'So I think the treatment is a lot of it with the physios, a lot of it with heat. Been doing some needling.
'At the start of the year I was so scared of needles. It was my biggest phobia. That was the only way I was going to be able to play Australia.
'So since then, I've been kind of dipping my toes into it because I know it helps even though I'm really scared of them. That's how I've kind of been trying to manage it.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Liverpool boss Arne Slot 'makes decision on Federico Chiesa's future' amid interest from Serie A giants
Arne Slot 'will not sanction the sale of Federico Chiesa' as it stands, with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez having left Liverpool this summer. The Reds are looking thin in the forward department and while many expected Chiesa to be among the departures, reports in Italy suggest otherwise. Chiesa, Cody Gakpo, Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike are currently Liverpool's frontline options for the forward spots, with young Rio Ngumoha backing up. The tragic death of Diogo Jota and sales of Nunez and Diaz mean Slot's answer on selling Chiesa is 'unequivocal', according to Gazzetta dello Sport. They say he is needed by the club but the situation could yet change depending on Liverpool's incomings in the final 20 days of the transfer window. Both Napoli and Inter Milan are the Serie A giants considered most likely to move for the former Juventus man. The protracted pursuit of Alexander Isak is one to keep a close eye on, with the Reds expected to test Newcastle's resolve with a second bid if given encouragement. And there is also interest in PSG winger Bradley Barcola, who as it stands appears unlikely to leave the French champions. Chiesa stayed behind while Liverpool were on their pre-season tour in Asia, with many considering his absence as an indication of a move away. But the Italian was dealing with muscular issues back on Merseyside and he was an unused substitute for the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. Chiesa was Liverpool's only arrival last summer but it was a frustrating campaign for the winger. Fitness issues and difficulty breaking into the starting line-up meant his game time was severely limited. There were flashes of his undoubted talent, including a goal in the League Cup final, but he was also part of the dismal FA Cup exit against Plymouth. If Liverpool are unable to sign any more attackers this transfer window, Chiesa seems likely to stay at Anfield and have the chance to give a greater account of himself this term.
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Mats Hummels' ex-wife claims he didn't INVITE son, 7, to farewell match attended by new model girlfriend, 26
MATS HUMMELS' ex-wife Cathy claims that the defender did not invite his seven-year-old son to his Borussia Dortmund farewell match. The German World Cup winner, 36, retired aged 36 following a short stint at Roma. 8 8 8 8 Having played over 500 times for Dortmund across three spells, Hummels was invited back to his former club to play in a farewell match over the weekend. The centre-back received incredible acclaim from the club's fans as he featured in Dortmund's 2-1 defeat to Juventus alongside their current crop. Hummels was cheered on at Signal Iduna Park by model girlfriend Nicola Cavanis, 26. His ex-wife Cathy and son Ludwig, however, were not present at the game. The 78-cap ex-Germany star split from Cathy in 2022 following seven years of marriage, and began dating Nicola the following year. Cathy, 37, shared a snap of Ludwig alongside a newspaper with his dad's picture on it. She wrote: "Someone stole my cap and read about Dad's farewell in the newspaper. So he knows what it was like." In a further post, Cathy added: "To clarify: We are not intentionally missing Mats Hummels' final game. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 8 8 "I put my son an extra newspaper so he can read everything,' she wrote. 'The reason we are NOT there is simply gone: We were NOT invited or knew about it. Meet Germany star Mats Hummels' new model wag Nicola Cavanis, 25, who loves Wimbledon and is banned from getting tattoos "We are now enjoying our wonderful vacation with the family again. "Goodbye Aussenrist 15. Congratulations on your remarkable career." While Hummels was being honoured, Cathy and Ludwig were around 400 miles away on holiday at Lake Chiemsee. Nicola, meanwhile, is a successful model and has worked for the likes of Victoria's Secret and Puma. 8 8
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Emma Raducanu ‘proud' of pushing Aryna Sabalenka to limit in Cincinnati Open
Emma Raducanu says she is proud of the improvements she displayed on Monday afternoon as she pushed Aryna Sabalenka to the limit in their punishing tussle in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. Five weeks on from their memorable third-round match at Wimbledon, Raducanu showed her continued progress by making life even more difficult for the world No 1 and coming close to pulling off the best individual victory of her career. After three hours and nine minutes on court, Raducanu lost 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5). 'She's world No 1 for a reason and I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon so that's an improvement,' said Raducanu. 'And also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it's very different to grass. I was always thinking that grass suits me a lot more and I still believe that so to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I'm pretty proud of it. The 30th seed continued: 'I think starting the point is a big takeaway. I think she did that incredibly well in the big moments, she served and returned really well. Me too in certain moments of the match. To hold that level on starting the point in the match is a big thing to me.' After falling down a set, Raducanu recovered brilliantly, serving well for large stretches of the match and then finding a way through an incredible 13-deuce service game at 3-4 in the final set. In the end, Sabalenka showed mental toughness by saving her best tennis for the most important moments of the match. 'You take the lessons from this,' said Raducanu, 22. 'I was able to play some good tennis for patches of the match, but I think it also dropped off for other patches of the match. So I think with work and going on the practice court, I can do it for longer and hold the level high for longer. But that being said, we had a three-hour match and I felt pretty good out there for the most part against Aryna who's achieved everything she has, so it's mostly positives.' Raducanu's defeat also marks an end to her first tournament with her new coach Francisco Roig, a former member of Rafael Nadal's coaching team, who has been working with the Briton since last Tuesday. After Raducanu's comfortable first round win against Olga Danilovic, this was their first big match together. Roig was extremely vocal throughout with both encouragement and specific tactical advice. 'I think the first week went well,' said Raducanu. 'I think we practised well. I made some improvements and I think for certain moments, you could see some stuff we practised peek through. But given that it's only been a week, I think there's been improvements.'
