"Put an arm around her and protect her" - Tennis fans 'fear' for Emma Raducanu's mental health after freak injury at ASB Classic

Tennis fans have come forward with words of encouragement for Emma Raducanu after she suffered a horrific ankle injury at Auckland's ASB Classic on Thursday.

Ever since creating history at the 2021 US Open, the 20-year-old has failed to add to her singles title tally due to multiple injuries and mid-match retirements amid frequent changes in the coaching staff. She ended her 2022 season earlier than expected as well, injuring her wrist in October.

Raducanu started preparing for the new season soon after in the hope of staying fit and playing as many tournaments as possible. However, during her second-round match at the WTA 250 event against 134th-ranked Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia, the Brit rolled her ankle and left the court in tears. This puts her Australian Open participation in doubt, which begins in less than two weeks.

Raducanu dominated the first set with a 6-0 score but lost the second 7-5. After a medical timeout following her injury in the second set, she retired from the match. While some fans criticized her for getting injured yet again, there were plenty who backed her to recover and return quickly.

"Very tough on Raducanu, difficult to see her making #AusOpen with it only being a couple of weeks away. Worked tirelessly to physically prepare herself for a full season, started off the year playing very well then rolls her ankle. Sport is cruel at times," a fan tweeted.

Very tough on Raducanu, difficult to see her making #AusOpen with it only being a couple of weeks away. Worked tirelessly to physically prepare herself for a full season, started off the year playing very well then rolls her ankle. Sport is cruel at times.

"It has clearly been very difficult in dealing with the pressure and expectation that comes with being a Grand Slam champion at such a young age. Someone needs to put an arm around her and protect her. I fear for her mental health," a user posted.

@SkySportsNews It has clearly been very difficult in dealing with the pressure and expectation that comes with being a Grand Slam champion at such a young age. Someone needs to put an arm around her and protect her. I fear for her mental health.

"Bad luck Emma Raducanu but at your age things like this heal pretty quickly. Keep up the fitness work in the gym and see how things are in a few days. Disappointing, but not the end of the world," another tweet read.

@SkySportsNews Bad luck @EmmaRaducanu but at your age things like this heal pretty quickly. Keep up the fitness work in the gym and see how things are in a few days. Disappointing, but not the end of the world!

Here are some more reactions:

Shame to see Emma Raducanu get injured again, but it's crazy the amount of people salivating at the opportunity to slate her. She's only just turned 20 and because her success was so early, and hasn't yet matched those heights, her entire career and future is being written off. https://t.co/LasSCFDzPa

Feel so bad for Raducanu. So much pressure after that big win, much of it unfair and unjustified. Then suffering all these injuries which just adds to the pressure. twitter.com/asb_classic/st…

People need to stop being so harsh to Raducanu. She just twisted her ankle and couldn’t move (and even tried to play the 3rd set), so retirement is more then justified. Hopefully she can recover and be fit for the Aussie Open!

@the_LTA Really unfortunate. I don't think she has a tournament next week so hopefully it heals up in time for the AO.

Absolutely brutal luck for Emma as she was playing well this week.

why are people slating Emma Raducanu for an ankle injury?

I'm still recovering from my June 2019 ankle injury and i'm not a pro athlete obvs but what might seem like the slightest niggle can have a big impact so she's right to withdraw.

@BBCSport Devastated for her. Stay strong @EmmaRaducanu, it may seem like it's just one injury after another, but "this too shall pass". So many more great days ahead.

@the_LTA And here come the hate comments... It's so sad to see how people immediately jump on this and start saying she's faking it or making excuses without even watching the match. It was 5:5 and then she she fell and rolled her ankle. After that she could barely move and retired...

"It’s not a surprise that this happened to someone" - Emma Raducanu criticizes ASB Classic indoor courts

Emma Raducanu's ankle injury came after her match against Viktoria Kuzmova was shifted indoors due to heavy rains. The Brit slammed the organizers for the slippery indoor courts after the match, saying that it had to happen to someone eventually. She stated that her team will observe and soon make a decision for the Australian Open.

“I thought I was playing some pretty decent tennis. The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery. To be honest, it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone. It’s out of my control. But we’ll assess over the next few days and see what the next steps are," she said.