Emma Raducanu has pulled out of Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament due to “a stress fracture” in her right leg.
Writing on Instagram, the 23-year-old 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.”
The British No 1 cut short a practice 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 was spotted at the All England Club wearing an orthopaedic boot earlier this week and her right ankle was strapped in protective tape when she returned to the practice court on Saturday.
But the 23-year-old abruptly stopped her practice with Anna Kalinskaya, the world No 20, after losing four games in a row. Raducanu was scheduled to open play on Court No 1 against Antonia Ruzic at 1pm on Monday.
Her 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 setback after a promising start to her grass-court season, on what is an excellent surface for the Briton.
Raducanu has 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.
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