British number two Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from her first-round match against Robin Montgomery at the Auckland Open.

World number 56 Radukanu, who has reached the last 16 in the last two editions of the tournament, said she had “tried my best to prepare” after her exit.

“I love Auckland and the fans here, but unfortunately I picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time,” added the 2021 US Open winner.

Australian Open 2025: Will Raducanu play?

Radukanu’s next match is now almost certain with the Australian Open starting on January 12 and the women’s final on January 25.

Her ranking means she will not be seeded at the first Grand Slam of the year, where she will be making her fourth consecutive appearance.

The 22-year-old has been knocked out in the second round in each of these three previous campaigns. She has made her only run beyond the second round at a major since winning the fourth round of Wimbledon 2024 in New York.

insulted Radukanu

Now working with fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, Radukanu’s main concern may be a lack of competitive build-up after playing just three matches after spraining ligaments in her foot in September.

All three of those contests ended in Great Britain’s victory in the Billie Jean King Cup final, and Radukanu suffered a first-round loss to current world No. 81 Sofia Kanin at the 2024 US Open that month.

Raducanu returned to the tour last January after eight months, including operations on both his wrists and his left ankle.

She withdrew from the Miami Open in March due to lower back pain, saying she “didn’t want to risk anything”.

Auckland Open: Burrage Thru

World number 24 Katie Boulter is the British number one, while there is a British presence at the Auckland Open in the form of Jodie Burrage.

The British number seven and world number 179 missed out on qualifying but was given a place in the main draw after Belgium’s Elise Mertens was injured.

Burrage capitalized with a 6-3 6-3 win over wildcard New Zealand’s Vivian Yang, adding that her appearance came as a short-notice surprise on a “crazy day”.