Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu says she will ‘review’ her current wrist injury before setting out what to do next after crashing out of the Miami Open on Tuesday. 

The British No.1 was edged out of her opening match at The Hard Rock Stadium by Bianca Andreescu who battled to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, win after two-and-a-half hours of play. It is the first time this season that Raducanu has lost her opening match at a tournament with her defeat coming after her run to the fourth round of Indian Wells where she scored two wins over top 50 players. 

Whilst producing some promising results in recent weeks, Raducanu has also been managing pain in her wrist. In 2022 she was forced to end her season early due to a wrist injury and the problem flared up again earlier this month. Fortunately for the 19-year-old, she can still play, but it is not ideal.

“It’s something I’ve been managing for some time. I just need to review after this tournament really and figure out what my next steps are,” Raducanu said during her press conference.
“We (my team) have been managing it and keeping on top of it. I’m able to play in the short-term. But the current solutions aren’t very viable long-term.”

Injury woes are nothing new for the 20-year-old. In the past, she has also experienced issues with her back, legs, blisters and a side strain. On top of that, earlier this year at the ASB Classic in New Zealand she rolled her ankle which forced her to retire from her second round match.

Despite these setbacks, Raducanu is confident that she is heading in the right direction. She is currently coached on the Tour by Sebastian Sachs who is the fifth person to mentor her within the past 18 months. Sachs has previously worked with the likes of Victoria Azarenka and Belinda Bencic.

“I think that I’m doing the right things day to day, which brings me confidence,” she said.
“I feel like this year has been difficult in the sense that I have been managing a few existing injuries. That has been annoying and frustrating because I’ve been working as best as I can.’
“I’m enjoying the competition. Really, really happy to be on the match court.”

Raducanu’s current fitness is the reason why she isn’t playing in her country’s upcoming tie against France in the Billie Jean King Cup. She said the ‘best medical advice’ given to her is to not switch surfaces at short notice. 

“I would love to play the Billie Jean King Cup. It’s just that this scenario is not the best for my body. I really need to look after myself and do what’s best for me on the match court,” she said.

Raducanu is currently ranked 72nd in the world. 

Andy Murray believes world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz can stay at the top of men’s tennis for as long as he wants to play. 

The three-time Grand Slam champion has hailed Alcaraz’s all-around game which he describes as effective on all surfaces. Murray was on course to play the world No.1 in the third round of the Miami Masters but lost his opening match to Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday. They have previously played each other on the tour twice during 2021 with their head-to-head level at 1-1. 

“He has an excellent game, an all-around game that I think will translate well onto all surfaces,” Murray said of Alcaraz. 

Alcaraz burst onto the main stage of men’s tennis last year when he won five ATP titles, including two Masters 1000 events and the US Open. Last September he topped the rankings for the first time in his career before becoming the youngest year-end No.1 player in history. He is also the youngest player to have beaten both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the same tournament, as well as the youngest to win the US Open since 1990.

The 19-year-old has managed to continue his winning run into 2023 with him winning the Argentina Open in what was his first tournament following an injury-related break. More recently he won his third Masters title in Indian Wells which also moved him back to the No.1 spot. Alcaraz must also win Miami if he wants to retain the position heading into the clay season. If he doesn’t, Djokovic will return to the top. 

“He’s not the biggest guy, but he can serve big. He’s an unbelievable mover and a great athlete. Has a lot of variety in his game,” Murray comments on Alcaraz’s style of play. 
“That’s something that you hope that he keeps that. I know from experience that it’s a bit easier playing that way when you’re sort of 18, or 19, and there’s not any sort of scar tissue there. I hope that he maintains that style of play because it’s exciting to watch.”

After achieving a series of milestones at such a young age, the question is how successful could Alcaraz become in the future. Some have made bold predictions that he will win multiple Grand Slams in the future which will go into the double digits. However, Murray has warned against such expectations. 

“He’s so far in his young career doing better than most of the guys that have come (to the Tour) in the last sort of eight to 10 years. I know a lot of people are sort of expecting everyone to win 20-plus Grand Slams now, like that’s sort of normal. I wouldn’t predict that for anyone,” he said. 
“I would imagine he would be right at the top of the game for, well, as long as he wants to play.”

Alcaraz will begin his Miami campaign later this week against Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis. Meanwhile, Murray will soon be travelling to southern Spain for a training block following his exit from the tournament. 

Women’s second round action begins on Thursday, including Major champions like Victoria Azarenka and Elena Rybakina, as well as American top seeds Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff.

The highest profile WTA match of the day sees Azarenka, a three-time Miami Open champion, face Italy’s Camila Giorgi, who is always a threat on a faster hard court.  Meanwhile, men’s first round action concludes on Thursday, headlined by 2020 US Open champ Dominic Thiem facing Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule.  Thursday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.

Lorenzo Sonego vs. Dominic Thiem (WC) – Not Before 7:00pm on Stadium Court

Dominic Thiem continues to struggle to regain his form after missing nearly a year of action due to a wrist injury.  He showed some signs of his former self during the fall, reaching the semifinals of both Gijon and Antwerp.  However, he is just 1-8 at all levels to start 2023, with his only win coming on clay in Buenos Aires over Alex Molcan.  Thiem has lost two of his last three matches in a final-set tiebreak, including two weeks ago to Adrian Mannarino at Indian Wells, a tournament Dominic won four years ago.

Sonego was ranked as high as 21^st in the world just 18 months ago, but is now 59^th, and owns a 5-8 record in 2023.  Yet it’s worth noting he’s also had some tough draws.  Five of those eight losses have come against top 20 opposition.

These players have split two previous meetings., both on clay.  In 2019 in Kitzbuhel, Thiem prevailed in straight sets.  In 2021 in Rome, Sonego prevailed in an epic encounter on his home soil, claiming a third-set tiebreak after nearly three-and-a-half hours.  While neither man arrives in Miami with much confidence, it’s hard to favor Dominic until he gets back to his winning ways.

Camila Giorgi vs. Victoria Azarenka (14) – Not Before 7:00pm on Grandstand Court

Azarenka’s three Miami titles came in 2009, 2011, and 2016, defeating Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Svetlana Kuznetsova in those finals.  She is 38-10 lifetime in Miami, and 10-6 on the season, with half of those victories coming during her semifinal run at the Australian Open.

Giorgi is also 10-6 this year, with half of her wins coming during her title run last month at a hard court event in Merida.  In the first round on Tuesday, she survived a dramatic affair against another of the WTA’s hardest hitters, defeating Kaiai Kanepi in a match that consisted of three tiebreak sets and lasted over three-and-a-half hours.

Giorgi leads their head-to-head 2-1.  That includes a victory nine years ago on grass, as well as a win five years ago on a hard court, though Azarenka retired after only eight games in that match.  Most recently, four years ago on a hard court in Toronto, Vika won in straight sets.  On Thursday, I give Azarenka the edge in a city where she has enjoyed much success, especially considering Giorgi may be a bit physically depleted after her opening round.

Other Notable Matches on Thursday:

Jessica Pegula (3) vs. Katherine Sebov (Q) – Pegula is 15-5 in 2023, and lost a heartbreaker at Indian Wells to Petra Kvitova in an extended third-set tiebreak, during which both players held multiple match points.  Sebov is a 24-year-old Canadian who has claimed two ITF-level hard court titles within the past few months.

Rebecca Marino vs. Coco Gauff (6) – Gauff is 14-4 this season, and is just 3-3 lifetime at her home state’s biggest event.  Marino is a 32-year-old Canadian who has taken several extended breaks from competitive tennis, but won 49 matches at all levels last year.  At the 2022 French Open, Coco defeated Rebecca 7-5, 6-0.

Elena Rybakina (10) vs. Anna Kalinskaya – Rybakina is now 16-4 on the year, coming off her Indian Wells title run last week, where she avenged her Australian Open final loss to Aryna Sabalenka.  Kalinskaya is 6-4 in main draws this season, and while she’s never played Elena at tour level, she did defeat her four years ago in the final of an ITF-level event in Australia.

Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.