Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the first tournament of the new season through injury.
The 22-year-old was forced to withdraw from the ASB Classic in Auckland with a back problem.
“Tried my best to be ready,” Raducanu said on the WTA website. “I love Auckland and the fans here but unfortunately picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time.”
The tournament was to be Raducanu’s first since hiring renowned fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura.
The former British number one has been beset with fitness issues since her stunning triumph at the US Open in 2021, and she missed two months at the back end of last season with a foot injury.
Raducanu trained at the National Tennis Centre in London after helping Britain reach the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup last month before heading down under for some warm-weather work over Christmas.
She was seeded sixth in Auckland and was due to meet 20-year-old American Robin Montgomery in her opening match. The tournament also features former grand slam champions Naomi Osaka and Sofia Kenin.
It is another blow for Raducanu as this latest injury problem will not help her preparations for the first grand slam of the year, the Australian Open, which begins on January 12.
