Emma Raducanu reveals she will skip Kremlin Cup after ‘schedule change’
- US Open champion will still play Transylvania Open in Romania, and Linz Open in Austria, before the season ends
- Raducanu tells fans she hopes to play in Russia next year, as Maria Sharapova’s former mentor warns coaches may steer clear of British teenager
US Open women’s singles champion Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the Kremlin Cup in Russia later this month citing a “tournament schedule change”.
World No 22 Raducanu made her much-anticipated return to the court at Indian Wells last week but lost in the second round to Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The British 18-year-old had been handed a wild card to Indian Wells and then received a bye into the second round as one of the seeds before losing to Sasnovich 27 days on from making history in New York.
“I look forward to returning to the Tour in the next couple of weeks,” Raducanu said in a statement on pulling out of the Moscow event.
“Unfortunately I‘ve had to make a tournament schedule change and won’t be able to play Moscow this year but I hope to compete there and in front of the Russian fans next year.”
The teenager, who made history in New York by becoming the first qualifier to win a grand slam, is set to take part in events in Romania and Austria before the season ends.
US Open champion Raducanu crashes out of Indian Wells
She had earlier spoken of her excitement at playing in Romania, the country where her father Ian was born.
“I am extremely excited to play at the Transylvania Open, in front of Romanian fans,” she said, as reported by Romania’s Actual de Cluj website.
“My father is from Romania, so to participate for the first time in a WTA competition in the country where he was born is a special moment and I can’t wait to get to Cluj!”
Raducanu had previously sent a message to her growing army of Chinese fans that she will play in China next year.
The US Open champion’s mother Renee is from Shandong and Raducanu speaks Mandarin but has not been back to China during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s a pity that I can’t go to China this year but will go and play next year,” she said in a video on China’s Twitter-like Weibo, her first post on the social media site.
Raducanu could face idol Halep or China No 1 at Indian Wells
Her early exit at Indian Wells ended her slim hopes of earning enough points to qualify for the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico next month.
Elsewhere, Maria Sharapova’s former coach Michael Joyce has warned that the teenager could struggle to find a new coach.
“She’s a great player but it’s going to be a tough job for the next coach, as expectations are high. If she goes to the Australian Open next year and goes out early, people will say it’s because of the coach,” Joyce, who coached the Russian to two grand slam titles, told The Sun .
Raducanu is still searching for a new coach after making changes to her team following her remarkable runs at Wimbledon – where she reached the last 16 – and the US Open.
