The ASB Classic in Auckland has insisted that proper measures have been taken to ensure that all courts are fit for purpose after Emma Raducanu questioned its safety.
The former US Open champion was forced to retire from her second round match against Viktoria Kuzmova at the start of the third set after rolling her ankle on Thursday. Due to poor weather conditions in the area, Raducanu’s match had to be moved indoors. Speaking to reporters afterwards, the Brit took a swipe at the tournament by describing the court as ‘slippery.’
“The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone.” She said.
Tournament director Nicolas Lamperin has since hit back at Raducanu’s comment by saying her injury was unfortunate but there is no reason to question the safety of the court. Speaking to reporters, he said the decision to move matches indoors was made by the tournament referee (Ricardo Reis) and WTA supervisor (Shu Chen) who both inspected those courts before any tennis was played on them.
“It is still GreenSet,” he told stuff.co.nz. “The courts have been laid out by the same company.
“We are obviously very sorry about Emma’s injury. Every player works really hard in the off season and that’s not what you expect when you play a tournament in week one.
“However, injuries happen all the time, it could have happened on an outdoor court.
“We feel for the situation, but we also say that these courts are fit to play.”
More matches has been moved indoors at the tournament due to the poor weather with the Friday night session being cancelled.
“This is not the first time that it’s raining at a tennis tournament. It happens all over the world, every single week,” Lamperin commented on the situation.
“Players are used to it, they’re used to long hours in the players lounge waiting.
“We always inform them ahead of the day what the plans are, through player relations, the supervisor.
“We’re trying to keep them offsite as much as possible, so they don’t waste too much energy, but it’s part of tennis.”
As for Raducanu, she has undergone further tests to establish the extent of her injury. She faces a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open which will begin on January 16th.
