British number one Emma Raducanu was forced to withdraw from her opening match at the United Cup due to an unknown injury, leaving team captain Tim Henman hopeful that she may not be out for the entire tournament.
The 23-year-old had been scheduled to face Naomi Osaka in Perth on Sunday but was replaced by Katie Swan after pulling out just hours before the match. Henman revealed that Raducanu had been "very, very close" to playing and had been improving her fitness since returning from a bout of illness in China in October last year.
Raducanu's withdrawal has cast doubt over her availability for the rest of the tournament. Despite this, Henman remains optimistic about her chances of making a comeback. When asked about Raducanu's injury, Henman said that it was not an easy decision to withdraw but that he believed she had been "building up and practicing really well".
The Great Britain team made a strong start in the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Japan, which included Billy Harris beating Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6 (6-4) 6-3. Despite this win, Henman acknowledged that his team has work to do if they want to make it out of the group stage.
In other news, Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls clinched a crucial doubles victory for Britain by defeating Yasutaka Uchiyama and Nao Hibino 7-5 4-6 10-7. The win marked an impressive start for the British team, who will look to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches.
The United Cup is a new team-based tournament that features 18 countries divided into six groups of three. The teams play each other once before advancing to the quarter-finals.
The 23-year-old had been scheduled to face Naomi Osaka in Perth on Sunday but was replaced by Katie Swan after pulling out just hours before the match. Henman revealed that Raducanu had been "very, very close" to playing and had been improving her fitness since returning from a bout of illness in China in October last year.
Raducanu's withdrawal has cast doubt over her availability for the rest of the tournament. Despite this, Henman remains optimistic about her chances of making a comeback. When asked about Raducanu's injury, Henman said that it was not an easy decision to withdraw but that he believed she had been "building up and practicing really well".
The Great Britain team made a strong start in the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Japan, which included Billy Harris beating Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6 (6-4) 6-3. Despite this win, Henman acknowledged that his team has work to do if they want to make it out of the group stage.
In other news, Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls clinched a crucial doubles victory for Britain by defeating Yasutaka Uchiyama and Nao Hibino 7-5 4-6 10-7. The win marked an impressive start for the British team, who will look to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches.
The United Cup is a new team-based tournament that features 18 countries divided into six groups of three. The teams play each other once before advancing to the quarter-finals.
hope emma raducanu gets back to her game soon, doesn't want anyone to rush back from injury 
team captain tim henman seems pretty chill about it tho 
but gotta be worried about the whole tournament now 
what if she's out for a bit more than we think 
fingers crossed for britain's tennis squad 
still hoping she'll be okay tho, fingers crossed for GB! 
but let's not get our hopes up just yet, injuries can be pretty unpredictable 
and we don't want to jinx her or anything... 
... Emma Raducanu's withdrawal from the opening match is just what we needed, a bit of drama to spice up the tournament 
. I mean, who needs a full team when you can have a solo act like Katie Swan, right? 
But seriously, it's not ideal for GB's chances in the group stage, especially if Raducanu was on a roll. Hopefully she'll be back to her usual self soon 
. Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls are definitely a team to watch out for 
. Let's hope they can keep this momentum going and make a deep run in the tournament 
. And Tim Henman's optimism? Totally justified 
... after all, he's been doing this for years, what does he know 
?
maybe it's just a minor setback and she'll be back on court in no time 
... and Neal Skupski/Olivia Nicholls' doubles victory is a big boost for the team 
. Now they just need to keep up the momentum and they'll be in good shape to advance to the next round 
... remember when tennis players just had to deal with the physical stuff and not all this drama? Emma Raducanu was supposed to play Naomi Osaka on Sunday but now she's out due to an injury 
. I'm still hoping she'll come back strong, though - she had been working hard on her fitness, just like the old days 
... I guess that's not as true now 
. It's not like she suddenly got hurt, it's more likely that something came up at the last minute 
team england is def gonna miss her tho. tim henman sounds like a total sweetheart btw 
Sorry to hear about Emma Raducanu's injury! Hope she's back on court ASAP 
. And now this injury is all over the place... it's hard to see how she'll make a comeback for the rest of the tournament 
I mean, Emma Raducanu was so close to playin' but then she just pulls out because of an injury and now everyone's all worried 
7-6 (6-4) 6-3? that's some serious skill 
they're like the ultimate British tennis power couple 
. Fingers crossed they keep this momentum goin'