Emma Raducanu plays down injury fears in buildup to US Open defence

Emma Raducanu has played down any fears of an injury during her final days of preparation for her US Open title defence despite an emotional training session on Friday afternoon as she appeared to struggle with an ailment on her hand. Two hours later, in her pre-tournament press conference, Raducanu attributed her struggles to blisters and a bad day at the office.

“I had a few small things, got a couple blisters, a bit of a niggle here and there,” said Raducanu. “It’s just one of those weird days where you feel a bit like nothing ... I don’t know. You just feel a bit out of it. Can’t really explain myself, to be honest. I’m sure everyone in this room has probably had a day like that. Yeah, it is what it is.”

Having scheduled a two hour practice session with Ekaterina Alexandrova, after around 40 minutes Raducanu stopped the training session, moving to the side of the court where she was in tears as she spoke with her coach, Dmitry Tursunov.

Raducanu resumed the practice but she continued to fiddle with her hand, prompting her to exit the court for a lengthier period with her physio, Will Herbert. During her absence, Tursunov kept the training session moving by hitting with Alexandrova.

Despite the short interlude, Raducanu returned after a short period afterwards and continued the lengthy two hour session without further issues, playing points with Alexandrova and serving at full speed until the end. Afterwards, Raducanu said that she has no issues to report. “I have no concerns of, like, an issue, no,” she said.

Raducanu’s title defence will begin with a challenging opener as she faces a tough first round match against the veteran Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet, who has already beaten Iga Swiatek, Simona Halep, Garbiñe