"Feeling better now": Emma Raducanu provides fitness update after withdrawal from Wuhan Open

Britain’s Emma Raducanu has provided an update on her fitness after recently withdrawing from the Wuhan Open. The WTA 1000 event this year has been affected by harsh conditions, making it hard for players to continue playing.

One of the players who was immensely impacted because of harsh weather was Britain’s Raducanu, who was forced to retire in the round of 64 clash against America’s Ann Li. In that match, Raducanu managed to win just two of 12 games and had her blood pressure checked before deciding to leave the court.

In a post on her Thread account, Raducanu provided an update on her health. Raducanu stated that she feels better and also admitted that it was a shame that she did not manage to complete the match. "Last day at the doctors in Wuhan,” wrote Raducanu. “Feeling better now. Shame I couldn't continue there, but thank you for the messages.”

The other player who was forced to retire from the Wuhan Open was Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who did not manage to complete her match against Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Ostapenko, later in a post on her Instagram, revealed that she retired after suffering a heat stroke. “It was a tough day,” wrote Ostapenko. “I suffered a heat stroke today. Thank you China for the atmosphere, emotions and incredible energy from the crowd. I am truly sorry that I had to finish the match this way. Thank you to all my Chinese fans. I will be back stronger next year.”

Another player who openly complained about hot weather conditions was the former US Open winner, Canada’s Bianca Andreescu. In a post on her Instagram account, Andreescu compared the outdoor situation in Wuhan to playing in a Sauna. "Wuhan weather really said: ‘Go play tennis in a sauna,” wrote Andreescu.

The Wuhan Open is not the only competition affected by extreme weather this year. Just 500 miles away, the men’s ATP 1000 event, the Shanghai Masters, has also been impacted because of tough weather. Top-seed and world number two Jannik Sinner retired in the third-round match against the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor. Towards the end of the match, Sinner was having so many cramps that he could hardly walk back to the locker room.

On the third day of the competition, Norway’s Casper Ruud struggled with fitness problems and was forced to retire in the third set of the round of 64 clash against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. Later, Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic had also been seen vomiting on the court. Djokovic also highlighted the issue during a press conference after one of his matches.

Despite the result, Raducanu will be happy that she has improved her rankings this year and is now ranked 29th in the live WTA rankings. Overall, Raducanu has played 48 matches across various competitions in 2025, winning 28 and losing 20. Her best outing this year came while playing at the Cincinnati Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the semifinal to Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

Raducanu is expected to play at least one of the following three events in Ningbo (October 13-19), Guangzhou (October 20-26), or Hong Kong (October 27-November 2) before her season comes to an end, as she will not be able to take part in the WTA Finals. Before arriving in Wuhan, Raducanu explained her objectives going forward. "I've just got to do my best in the next few months until Australia," said Raducanu. "Keep working to close the gap and try to get seeded for Melbourne. I think I'm improving for sure in the last few months. I just need to stay consistent."