Emma Raducanu leads a number of late withdrawals from the Miami Open.
Raducanu struggled with a chest infection during the Middle Eastern swing, having retired from her match in Doha and suffered a surprise defeat to Antonia Ruzic in Dubai.
The former US Open champion returned to competition at Indian Wells, where she won her opening match, before Raducanu was handily beaten by Amanda Anisimova.
Raducanu has since withdrawn from the Miami Open due to the ongoing impact that her illness is having, but there is an even more pressing issue that has caused a number of withdrawals from the WTA 1000 tournament.
The WTA Tour should be concerned by back injuries ahead of the Miami Open
Raducanu had a potential second round meeting in Miami against her compatriot Sonay Kartal, but now neither player is in the draw anymore.
Kartal beat Madison Keys en route to reaching the fourth round of Indian Wells last week, where she was forced to retire from her match against Elena Rybakina due to a back injury.
As a result, Kartal has withdrawn from the Miami Open due to this lower back issue, and she is one of three players to do so in the latest set of withdrawals.
This also includes Australian teenage star Maya Joint and rising Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova.
Emma Navarro, who is currently struggling for form, has also pulled out of the Miami Open, but the reason for this is not yet clear.
How would you solve the tennis injury crisis?
The Miami Open is one of the biggest tournaments on the calendar, so players would not withdraw unless there was a real issue, and the WTA should be particularly concerned by the number of back injuries.
Back injuries can be particularly troublesome and can have career-long impacts, which is something that former world number two Anett Kontaveit, who retired at just 27 years old, knows all too well.
The total withdrawal list for the WTA tournament in Miami now stands at 13, and also features Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Marketa Vondrousova, as well as former world number one Karolina Pliskova, all of whom have had long-term injury issues.
Calendar issues have been a continual talking point, and the WTA needs to address this sooner rather than later.
Emma Raducanu has made the right decision to withdraw from the Miami Open
Raducanu has also had back issues in the past, alongside many other injury concerns, but it is actually illness that is currently hampering her.
Last year, Raducanu reached the Miami Open quarterfinals in her best ever run at a WTA 1000 tournament.
This means that Raducanu had a significant number of ranking points to defend this year, putting her under pressure to compete in Miami, even though she was not feeling her best.
Will Emma Raducanu ever win another Grand Slam title?
Raducanu has made the right decision to withdraw from the Miami Open, as fully recovering should be a greater priority than defending ranking points, with illness more likely to linger if she is to keep competing.
This feels particularly relevant with the clay court tournaments approaching, which can often be a very physical part of the tennis season.
Raducanu has already entered her first clay court tournament in Linz, as she now has three weeks to recover in time.
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