Emma Raducanu forced to abandon Carlos Alcaraz & Co. in upcoming exhibition due to concerning injury as Jessica Pegula steps in: Reports

Emma Raducanu is struggling with a minor foot injury, and she has now reportedly withdrawn from two exhibition matches in the US. The British star was supposed to face Amanda Anisimova at Newark and Miami on Dec. 7 and 8, respectively.

According to TNT Sports, the 23-year-old will now be replaced by Jessica Pegula for the upcoming exhibition matches.

The Miami Invitational will see top ranked stars like Carlos Alcaraz, No. 42 Joao Fonseca, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and No. 33 Emma Raducanu compete. As mentioned above, Anisimova will face Raducanu there, while Alcaraz will take on Fonseca.

Raducanu is focused on regaining full fitness before the start of next season. This might be the reason for her withdrawal as she recovers from light bone bruising on her right foot. This injury, however, won't affect her plans to travel to Barcelona for pre-season camp. There, she would reportedly be joined by Francisco Roig, the former long-term coach of Rafael Nadal. She has also hired British Rowing team physio Emma Stewart to monitor her physical health.

While she recover, she recently visited England's rugby camp ahead of their Quilter Nations Series clash against New Zealand at Pennyhill Park. There, she talked with captain Maro Itoje and Marcus Smith, and even participated in some drills.

Now, Emma Raducanu is expected to next feature alongside Jack Draper at the United Cup in early January. Group stages matches are set against Japan and Greece in Perth, and she may also see a match against Naomi Osaka.

Emma Raducanu's injuries and struggling end to 2025 season

Emma Raducanu struggled with several injuries throughout the season, leading to her early shut down in October. Her health issues were prevalent during the Asian Swing. She retired mid-match in Wuhan due to dizziness. Shortly after in Ningbo, she lost in the first round to Zhu Lin, during which she again required medical attention on her back.

Due to constant health troubles, she decided to skip tournaments in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

The Brit has suffered with back spasms throughout the year. Because of this, she even decided to skip Berlin Open. In order to get relief from her back pain, she even underwent dry needling and heat therapy. Meanwhile, her foot injury was first noted in September on the right foot.

Raducanu continues to scale new heights. Outside of top 300 before the start of 2024 season, the Brit has made quite the leap, peaking to No. 29 ranking, after registering career-high 28 tour-level wins.

It remains to be seen how Raducanu overcomes this injuries and start the upcoming season on a positive note.