Emma Raducanu has provided a reassuring health update following her worrying withdrawal from Wuhan last week due to the searing heat as she prepares to take part in this week’s Ningbo Open in China.

The 22-year-old fell victim to the extreme Wuhan heat and was forced to retire from her first-round match against Ann Li last week.

At 4-1 down in the second, Raducanu, who was slumped in her chair, called for a medical timeout, and had her blood pressure checked on-court after suffering from dizziness.

Raducanu updated followers with a reassuring message for concerned supporters for the first time since pulling out via Threads, suggesting she had been for regular check-ups: “Last day at the doctor’s in Wuhan… feeling better now.

“Shame I couldn’t continue there but thank you for the messages.”

Temperatures in Wuhan soared to approximately 36 degrees, with humidity hovering near 60 per cent.

Raducanu is continuing in China at the upcoming WTA 500 event in Ningbo rather than call time on her 2025 season.

She has seen a resurgence in form, and she has been rewarded with a rise in the WTA Tour rankings – currently 29th – meaning Raducanu will be seeded at the Australian Open in January.

Raducanu has been drawn against Lin Zhu in the opening round match on Tuesday – live on Sky Sports Tennis – and she’ll play Mirra Andreeva in the second round if she manages to navigate her way through.

Wild card Raducanu could also play Ekaterina Alexandrova, who has just cracked the top 10, and eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova.

Both players feature in the same half of the draw, as do the likes of Sofia Kenin, Mccartney Kessler and Xinyu Wang.

Meanwhile, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is in the other half of the draw, as is Jasmine Paolini, who lost in the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open to Coco Gauff at the weekend.

Why the heat is on tennis as players battle ‘brutal’ conditions

The Shanghai Masters last week brought similar difficulties for tennis players with Jannik Sinner suffering from cramps, while Casper Ruud also withdrew, and Novak Djokovic vomited on the court.

“It’s the same for every player on the court, but it’s brutal,” said Djokovic. “It’s brutal when you have more than 80 per cent humidity day after day, especially for players who play during the day, in the sun, then it’s even harder. Biologically it’s a bit more challenging for me to deal with it.”

Djokovic added he has been “trying to stay alive on the court” but continues to demonstrate his age is not a limit at 38 years old, the oldest player ever to reach the last four of an ATP 1000 tournament.

Rising star Terence Atmane called it a day after just eight games against Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

“After the first point of the match both of my hands were shaking,” Atmane, 23, wrote on Instagram.

“After the second game and a comfortable 2-0 lead I immediately felt my entire body shaking and I was suffocating after every point.

“The heat stress I’ve faced today could have been worse than losing my consciousness for an hour and just rapid heartbeat.”

Danish player Holger Rune was heard confronting a supervisor about the lack of heat regulations, asking: “Why doesn’t the ATP have a heat rule? You want a player to die on the court?”

The ATP said in a statement: “This remains under active review and additional measures including the implementation of an official heat policy are currently being evaluated in consultation with players, tournaments, and medical experts.

“Player safety remains a top priority for the ATP.”

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