Emma Raducanu Injury Forces Late Wimbledon Withdrawal in Major Setback

Britain’s Emma Raducanu has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament after a stress fracture was confirmed in her lower right leg, ending her hopes of competing at her home Grand Slam.

The 23-year-old made the announcement late on Sunday night, shortly after 22:00, just hours after she had still been insisting she intended to play in front of a home crowd.

Raducanu, seeded 30th, was scheduled to open her campaign on Monday against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic on Court One.

“I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line but after a final scan tonight the niggle I’ve been managing has developed into a stress fracture,” she said.

“I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through.”

Concerns over her fitness had been building across the week. On Wednesday she was seen wearing a protective boot, and she subsequently missed training sessions on Thursday and Friday due to what was believed to be a shin issue.

There had been an attempt to respond to treatment, with Raducanu returning to court on Saturday for a light hit-out with her team, her lower right leg strapped. That session began gently and lasted around an hour before she later took part in a practice set with Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, which she did not complete.

By Sunday morning there were marginal signs of progress in her movement. Against hitting partner Alexis Canter, she appeared a little freer, particularly when driving off her right leg on the forehand side, although the intensity of the session was still limited compared to match conditions.

Later that day, Raducanu had spoken to reporters about her willingness to take risks in order to feature at Wimbledon, despite the obvious uncertainty around her fitness. At the time, it appeared she was trying to stay optimistic, even as the situation continued to worsen behind the scenes.

When her withdrawal was confirmed, she added: “Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process.”

The setback is another frustrating chapter in a stop-start period for the 2021 US Open champion. After reaching the Transylvanian Open final in February, she was then sidelined by a viral illness, limiting her to just six matches between early February and the start of Queen’s earlier this month.

Her run to the final at Queen’s had raised hopes that she was building momentum again ahead of Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round in both 2021 and 2024. But that optimism has once again been halted by injury.

Speaking at the French Open last month, Raducanu had already admitted how difficult it can be to maintain a positive outlook amid repeated setbacks.

“I have great people around me. I have amazing support from my team, from my family, from my friends. It means a lot,” she said.

“Being around positive people, around positive influences, it’s always going to help through tough times.”