British tennis star, Emma Raducanu, has pulled out of Wimbledon just hours before her opening match after suffering a stress fracture in her lower right leg.
The 23-year-old announced her withdrawal late on Sunday night, despite earlier expressing confidence that she would be fit enough to compete at the All England Club.
Raducanu, seeded 30th for the tournament, had been scheduled to face Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in the first round on Court One on Monday.
Explaining her decision, Raducanu said, “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.
“I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through.”
Concerns over her fitness had intensified during the week after she was seen wearing a protective boot.
The former US Open champion missed training sessions on Thursday and Friday due to what was believed to be a shin injury.
Although she returned to practice on Saturday with heavy strapping on her lower right leg, her preparations were far from ideal.
Raducanu completed a light session with her team before ending a practice set against Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya early.
There were encouraging signs during a training session on Sunday morning, with Raducanu moving more freely while hitting with practice partner Alexis Canter. However, the session did not fully test her movement under competitive conditions.
Later that day, she told reporters she was prepared to take risks in order to compete at Wimbledon. Nevertheless, after further medical assessment, she concluded that playing would jeopardise her recovery.
“Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process,” she added.
The withdrawal marks another disappointing chapter in a career repeatedly interrupted by injuries since her remarkable triumph at the 2021 US Open.
A bone bruise in her right foot prematurely ended her 2025 campaign and affected her off-season preparations.
Earlier this year, a viral illness following her run to the Transylvanian Open final limited her match activity for several months.
Her recent appearance in the final at Queen’s had sparked hopes of a strong Wimbledon campaign, particularly given her previous runs to the fourth round in 2021 and 2024.
Instead, Raducanu now faces another period of recovery and rehabilitation after seeing her momentum halted once again.
Reflecting on how she copes with such setbacks, Raducanu highlighted the importance of those around her.
“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.”
