Emma Raducanu left the court in tears after injury cut short her outing at the WTA 250 Auckland Classic on Thursday.
The Brit had to retire at 6-0 5-7 in her second-round match against Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova after rolling her ankle.
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The injury has cast doubt on her participation at this month’s Australian Open.
“I’ve put a lot of physical work in the last few months and I’ve been feeling good and optimistic,” Raducanu told Stuff Media.
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“So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well.
“I thought I was playing some pretty decent tennis.
“The courts are incredibly slick, like very slippery, so to be honest it’s not a surprise that this happened to someone … we’ll assess over the next few days and see what the next steps are.”
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Former US Open champion Raducanu swept the first set in 22 minutes.
She faltered in the second and had her left ankle examined during a medical timeout before leaving court in tears after being unable to complete the first point of the decider.
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The Australian Open begins on January 16.
