Emma Raducanu slammed the slippery courts at the ASB Classic in Auckland after suffering an ankle injury in the second round.
With the score 6-0 5-7, the Briton left the court in tears after rolling her ankle during the second set against Slovakia’s Viktoria Kuzmova.
The Australian Open begins in Melbourne in just 11 days.
Raducanu attempted to play on after receiving medical attention but withdrew two points into her opening service game at the start of the third set.
The 2021 US Open champion had an injury-plagued 2022 season, retiring from five matches, but said she felt “good” after an exhibition match in December.
In preparation for the season’s first major, she began 2023 with a win over teenager Linda Fruhvirtova in her first match in New Zealand.
Coco Gauff advanced to the Auckland quarter-finals by defeating fellow American and former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-4 6-4.