LONDON — Emma Raducanu will not play Wimbledon after the niggle she had been managing developed into a stress fracture.
The British player announced on her Instagram stories that she is withdrawing from the tournament that begins this Monday morning, 29 June, in London: “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,” added the world number 33.
On Wednesday 24 June, CLAY revealed that Raducanu was dealing with a physical problem after reporting that the player had been seen wearing a protective boot on her right leg. At six in the evening that day, she was spotted in the car park between Court 1 and Aorangi Park with the grey protection on her leg, before leaving the All England Club by car through gate 1 of the complex.
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She did not train that day, nor the day before. On Thursday she did not appear on court at her reserved time, and only returned to the practice courts on Saturday. She cut short her session with Anna Kalinskaya, losing 4-0, moving carefully and wearing a bandage on the lower part of her leg. She did say, however, that she had played for an hour without any issues before practising with the Russian.
When asked for further details about the injury, Thomas Houchin, one of her representatives, told CLAY on Wednesday that everything was fine: “There is nothing to worry about. Emma is fine.”
Raducanu scheduled her press conference for Saturday afternoon. A couple of hours beforehand, the All England Club announced that her media commitments would be pushed back to the following day.
At the press conference she was far from transparent, responding with ambiguity, specially in how she began:
— Are you playing tomorrow?
— I’m going to do everything with my team in terms of treatment, and that’s the current plan.
— You’re not quite sure yet?
— That’s the plan right now, to play.
— Is to play?
— Uh-huh.
In one of her subsequent answers, the 23-year-old said that Wimbledon is the kind of tournament where it is worth taking risks: “There are certain tournaments you’re willing to do more for, put yourself on the line more for, risk more for. For me, of course, Wimbledon is that.”
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It is not the first time this sequence has played out: Raducanu delays her media commitments until the last possible moment; insists the plan is to compete despite all signs pointing the other way; then announces via social media that she is withdrawing from the tournament.
In May, the British player pulled out of Rome shortly after her press conference.
The 2021 US Open champion also addressed her fans: “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.”
