British tennis star Emma Raducanu has said she is “very sorry” after withdrawing from the Monterrey Open through injury.
The 19-year-old was forced to retire from her first round match at the Abierto Akron Zapopan after sustaining a left hip injury.
She had been losing 5-7, 7-6, 4-3 against Australia’s Daria Saville when she withdrew.
Raducanu will now miss Monterrey Open, another WTA 250 event in Mexico. She issued a statement on the tournament’s website to apologise.
"I just wanted to say that I'm very sorry that I won't be able to play for you in Monterrey," she said. “I was looking forward to playing and staying longer in Mexico.
"I was having an amazing time, but I got hurt in my last match and that means I can't play."
Raducanu is now in a race to be fit in time for Indian Wells, the WTA 1000 event scheduled for March 7th to 20th.
The teenager rocketed to international stardom after her improbable victory at the US Open in September.
She won 10 games in a row without dropping a set, becoming the first ever qualifier, male or female, to earn a Grand Slam title.
It was the first time a female British tennis player had won a major since Virginia Wade in 1977.
Raducanu’s career has also been blighted by a number of physical problems, however.
She reached the main draw at Wimbledon in June but had to retire in the fourth round with breathing difficulties.
Raducanu also had to pull out of her second round match at the Australian Open with a painful blister on her hand.
She now has a 40 percent retirement rate in WTA Tour events, something she will be hoping to improve in the coming months.
British tennis legend Andy Murray, who also contended with multiple physical problems early in his career, has revealed that he would be more than willing to speak with the teenager but only if she wanted his help.
“I don’t think that I’m necessarily the right person to be giving advice on those things,” he said.
“She has her team that she’s working with, that she will trust to help her through those moments.
“If she wanted to know my advice, I’m sure she would message or speak to me and contact me, and I’d be more than happy to chat, but I’m not just going to dish out advice on that.”