Emma Raducanu has sustained another frustrating injury setback at the beginning of the new tennis season as she was forced to withdraw from the Auckland Open before her scheduled first-round match becuase of a back injury.

Raducanu, who was seeded sixth, had been due to start her season on Tuesday in Auckland against Robin Montgomery of the US but the 22-year-old has been nursing a back injury in recent weeks. Her back pain did not abate enough during her preparation, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament.

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Although she had previously been considering competing at the Adelaide Open next week, Raducanu will instead travel to Melbourne where she faces a race against time to be at full fitness for the Australian Open, which begins on 12 January.

“Tried my best to be ready,” Raducanu said in a statement. “I love Auckland and the fans here but unfortunately picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time.”

Injury setbacks continue to hinder Raducanu as she tries to rebuild her ranking and re-establish herself at the top end of the sport. She recently hired the renowned fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura, who is with her in New Zealand, on a full-time basis in an attempt to strengthen her body and better withstand the rigours of professional tennis.

Last year, Raducanu returned successfully to competition after an eight-month layoff following surgeries to both wrists and her ankle, rising from outside the top 300 to the top 60 with multiple top-10 wins and a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon. However, she was sidelined for nearly two months towards the end of the season due to a foot injury.

Raducanu returned for the final week of the season, winning all three of her matches at the Billie Jean King Cup as Great Britain narrowly missed out on a spot in the final and heading into the off-season with her confidence high, but her preparation for the new season has again been hampered.