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.

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.