Emma Raducanu’s presence at Wimbledon remains shrouded in doubt after the British No 1 was forced to cut short her training session at the All England Club two days before her opening match.
Raducanu, who had been managing a right foot injury since her run to the final at Queen’s Club, had not trained for the past two days after being spotted leaving the venue wearing a medical boot on her right foot.
She returned to practice on Saturday afternoon wearing heavy tape on her right ankle and lower leg. After warming up with Anna Kalinskaya on the Aorangi Park practice courts, the pair moved to Court 3 and began a practice set.
Raducanu’s mood quickly darkened once she was forced to move during the points, with the Briton struggling to push off her right ankle when striking the ball.
Down 0-4, 0-15, Raducanu netted a backhand while off-balance and then gestured to Kalinskaya that she could no longer play. After embracing the Russian at the net, Raducanu and her coaching team left the court in solemn mood with 15 minutes still to play. Kalinskaya and her team finished their court time with some feeding drills.
Raducanu had been scheduled to conduct her pre-tournament media duties on Saturday afternoon, but shortly after her practice, they were rescheduled for Sunday. Raducanu, the 30th seed at Wimbledon, is scheduled to face Antonia Ruzic, the Croatian ranked No 60 in the world.
This injury is the latest and most frustrating physical problem for Raducanu, who was sidelined for most of the off-season by a foot injury. After struggling with a virus for much of February, she was forced off the court for two months between March and May due to post-viral illness.
Raducanu began the grass-court season searching for her first win in three years and appeared to have turned a corner after playing some of her best tennis to reach the final at Queen’s Club.
after newsletter promotion
Instead, whether or not she is present at No 1 Court at 1pm on Monday, the 23-year-old’s focus is once again trying to keep her body in one piece rather than improving as a player.
Raducanu was forced to withdraw from the championships in 2023 after having surgery on both wrists and an ankle. She then struggled with back pain in the buildup to Wimbledon 2024. The former US Open champion was managing back pain in the buildup to Wimbledon last year.
