Italian Open: Emma Raducanu walks out due to a back injury, and Bianca Andreescu receives a walkover

Emma Raducanu has been dealing with the problem for the last few weeks, but her health issues improved the 19-year-old, who was already trailing 6-2 2-1 in Rome when she decided to halt the match. Emma Raducanu admitted that she didn't understand the seriousness of her injury until she went out to play. 

World number 12 is now hoping to overcome her injury before the start of her Roland Garros campaign. The clay-court Grand Slam begins on May 22, and Raducanu will be participating in the main draw for the first time.

Raducanu is still recovering from the back injury in Madrid Open. 

Emma Raducanu got injured during her defeat at the Madrid Open last week, but before her match against Andreescu in Rome, the British player said she was "managing" the problem. However, she was forced to take an injury timeout at 5-2 in the first set and took plenty of time to recover. Although she regained the momentum of her service in the second set, she chose to quit after losing serve for the third time in the match. Fans had anticipated the game due to their parallel histories of being unexpected teenage US Open champions. Besides that, both the players hail from the same place in Canada with Romanian heritage. 

The British number one has a long spell of injuries. 

21-year-old Andreescu has been a victim of health issues since her victory at the Flushing Meadows in 2019, admitting that she was thinking of retiring from the sport. However, her form resurfaced, and she scored solid winners besides a solid second serve to thrash Raducanu before the match ended prematurely. Raducanu's exit was her second one of the season after a leg injury compelled her to walk out of Mexico in February 2022. In her Australian Open second-round defeat in January, she also suffered from a blister on her racquet hand. Shortly after, she had to wash her blistered feet in surgical spirit during Britain's Billie Jean King Cup defeat in the Czech Republic in April. 

Raducanu needs a new coach.

Raducanu knows that she needs to improve her physicality before jumping into a first full year. Still, her pre-season fitness regime was interrupted by the coronavirus. Furthermore, she is currently without a full-time coach after separating from German Torben Beltz at the end of April. In Rome, she trained with Iain Bates, the Lawn Tennis Association's head of women's tennis. Although Raducanu is happy to continue with a small team and "figuring things out" for herself, former British world number one Tim Henman thinks she requires additional support.