‘Really seemed to hurt' - Emma Raducanu doubles over in pain during medical time-out at Australian Open

Emma Raducanu grimaced in pain as she was treated during a medical time-out ahead of the deciding set in the Australian Open second round. The Brit was hampered by a blister on her dominant right hand during her second round clash with Dank Kovinic in Melbourne, prompting her to repeatedly call on the on-court physio for treatment.

Ad/> However, as the physio worked on her hand prior to the third set, Raducanu suddenly lurched forward in pain. /> Australian Open'Ooo!' — Raducanu doubles over in pain at Australian OpenAN HOUR AGO “Ooo, that seemed to really hurt,” said Simon Reed on Eurosport commentary “She is not a drama queen.” The injury clearly hampered Raducanu, who often elected to play conservatively – and swerve pain – rather than rely on her brutal groundstrokes.

She was in cruise control against Kovinic, breaking her opponent twice to race into a 3-0 lead in the first set, when the problem struck. Raducanu has enjoyed a meteoric rise after her stunning run to the US Open title in September, which saw her come through qualifying and reel off 10 straight matches without dropping a set.

— — Stream the 2022 Australian Open live and on demand on discovery+. A subscription for discovery+ is now £29.99 for the first year for UK users, down from £59.99 Australian Open'Emma, Emma!' — Raducanu heads to wrong end of court as umpire gets involved2 HOURS AGO /> Australian OpenRaducanu begins second round match with lively opening rally3 HOURS AGO