Emma Raducanu to miss Wimbledon after injury ‘niggle’ becomes ‘stress fracture’

Emma Raducanu has pulled out of Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament due to “a stress fracture” in her right leg.

The British No 1, who said earlier on Sunday that she had been managing a “niggle” in her lower leg since Queen’s, sparked fitness concerns ahead of Wimbledon after she was spotted at the All England Club wearing an orthopaedic boot earlier this week.

The 23-year-old missed two days of practice before she cut short a session at the All England Club on Saturday and postponed her pre-tournament press conference to the following day to deepen concerns about her fitness.

<

Raducanu returned to training on Sunday with her lower leg still strapped in protective tape, but later told the media that she planned to play her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic at 1pm on Monday.

But, writing on Instagram shortly at around 10pm on Sunday evening, Raducanu said: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sadly I’ve had to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon.

“I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I’ve been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through.

“Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process.

“I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Especially at a time like this, it is invaluable. I look forward to seeing you when I’m back.”

Raducanu’s career has continually been frustrated by injury problems and missing Wimbledon – where she has twice reached the fourth round, her best result at a major since winning the US Open in 2021 – marks yet another set-back after a promising start to her grass-court season.

Raducanu said she had been feeling “tentative” and “hesitant” when she cut her training session with Anna Kalinskaya short on Saturday but appeared in a more positive mood the following day and confirmed she “did feel better” on the court.

<

Before undergoing her scan on Sunday night, the 30th seed had addressed whether she would “risk” playing Wimbledon while managing an injury, suggesting she could push through because it was her home grand slam.

“I think risk is always a factor. I think a lot of players are probably managing things,” Raducanu said. “I think there are certain tournaments you’re willing to do more for, put yourself on the line more for, risk more for. For me, Wimbledon is that.

“I think I probably pushed beyond anything that I would [have done] for any other tournament. That’s for a fact. It’s just to what extent.

“I don’t think anyone can tell me I’m not going to make it worse. I just have to be aware of the risks I’m taking stepping out onto the court, weighing up if I’m willing to do that.”

<

Raducanu had not played since an excellent run to the final at Queen’s, a WTA 500 warm-up tournament in west London, where she lost to former Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic less than two weeks ago.

After playing five matches at Queen’s in quick succession, including her quarter- and semi-final on the same day, Raducanu opted not to play another tournament in Nottingham the following week, before declining a wildcard into this week’s event in Eastbourne.

She said after Queen’s that she had been “dealing with a few niggles over the past few weeks”. She slipped on the grass in her quarter-final against Kamilla Rakhimova and took a medical timeout but did not appear to be hampered by any physical issues during the remainder of her tournament.

<

A post-viral illness she struggled to shake off kept her off court for two-and-a-half months after Indian Wells in March, meaning she missed nearly the entire clay season, only returning at the French Open where she lost 6-0 7-6 to Argentina’s Solana Sierra.

Raducanu’s withdrawal from Wimbledon is a major blow to the tournament and the home fans. Her late-night battle against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Centre Court in last year’s third round was one of the matches of the Championships.

It marks the second time in four years that Raducanu has missed her home grand slam. She previously missed the tournament in 2023 after undergoing surgery on both wrists and her left ankle.

Before her latest withdrawal, Raducanu had also spoken the difficulty of her latest set-back. “It’s been tricky. I had a great week at Queen’s. All I want to do is to keep building on that momentum,” she said.

“I’ve had a tough start to the season, a lot of time out. I think hearing and feeling this is difficult.

“I have great people around me. I think that’s one thing that’s really been helping in this latest set-back. I think having their support, they’re really in it with me. It means a lot to have that.”