Emma Raducanu withdraws from Wimbledon due to stress fracture
Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from Wimbledon following the confirmation of a stress fracture in her lower right leg. The British player announced her decision on Sunday evening, just hours after indicating her intention to compete. This marks the second time in four years that Raducanu has been forced to miss the tournament due to injury.
Raducanu had been managing a right lower leg injury since her participation in the Queen’s final earlier in June. Concerns about her fitness escalated after she missed training on Thursday and Friday. Although she returned to court on Saturday, her session with Anna Kalinskaya at Wimbledon was cut short by 10 minutes. A final scan confirmed the stress fracture, leading to medical advice against competing.
Injury and withdrawal
The 2021 US Open champion shared her decision on social media, expressing her disappointment. She stated that she had done everything possible to reach the starting line but the niggle she was managing had developed into a stress fracture. Raducanu conveyed that playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to her, making the withdrawal difficult to process. The official Wimbledon account responded to her announcement with a message of support.
This latest injury is a significant concern for Raducanu, who has faced numerous setbacks since her US Open victory in 2021. Her career has been marked by a series of injuries, including three surgical procedures in May 2023 to address issues with both wrists and her left ankle. These surgeries kept her off the court for eight months. She later spoke about the psychological impact of watching her peers compete while she was sidelined, admitting she did not watch much tennis during that period.
Career outlook and future plans
Raducanu’s withdrawal from Wimbledon has reignited discussions about her long-term future in tennis. Despite recently turning 23, she has admitted she may have less than a decade left at the top level of the sport. She hinted at aspirations beyond tennis, suggesting that her life truly begins in her thirties after a full tennis career.
She has previously indicated that she does not envision herself competing into her 40s, unlike Serena Williams. Raducanu has also mentioned a potential career in banking, stating she would have pursued finance if she had not become a professional tennis player. This stress fracture is the latest in a series of challenges for Raducanu, who has struggled to maintain consistent fitness on the WTA Tour.
Her inactivity this season has not prevented her from reaching two finals, a feat she had not achieved in the four years following her US Open win. This allowed her to be seeded for Wimbledon, but her withdrawal means she will lose 130 ranking points from her third-round run last year. She is currently projected to drop to world number 35 in the live rankings and could fall further. It is currently unclear how long her recovery will take, and she may face a race against time to be fit for the US Open, where she is unlikely to be seeded.
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Source: express.co.uk
Amelia Stockwell is a Sports Reporter at News GB. She covered two Commonwealth Games for a national outlet. She focuses on tennis, cricket and athletics and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from the University of York and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in York, she runs with a local club and follows county cricket. “The quiet stories often matter most by the end of the season.”
