Emma Raducanu could walk away from tennis at just 23, with former BBC tennis presenter Andrew Castle admitting he would not be surprised if the British star decided she had “had enough” of her prolonged injury struggles.
Raducanu has been forced to withdraw from this year’s US Open after suffering a stress fracture in her right leg.
The latest setback also ruled her out of Wimbledon and has added to a growing list of injuries that have disrupted her career since her stunning US Open triumph in 2021.
Castle, who left the BBC earlier this year, said he hopes Raducanu continues playing but believes the decision ultimately rests with the tennis star and her family.
“Well, put it this way. I mean, I’ve got no access to that camp whatsoever, but it wouldn’t surprise me if one day, out of the blue, she just said, you know, ‘I’ve had enough of all this’.
“I mean, don’t we all say that? She doesn’t have an obligation to anybody but herself and her family. That’s it. There is nothing else. All the sponsors and everybody else, they’re not the ones whose career this is.
“It’s her choice, but I mean, I hope she carries on. I would love to see her have three or four years of freedom away from injury, and just to play tennis.
“I mean, it would have been great if, right at the beginning, she could have literally just picked up a racket and just gone and played a few Challengers, or whatever you want.”
Raducanu’s decision to miss the US Open was reached after discussions with her medical team.
The former champion has recently increased her rehabilitation programme but has continued to wear a protective boot while training.
Her withdrawal means she will miss the tournament she famously won as an 18-year-old in 2021, when she became the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title.
With another lengthy injury setback now affecting her season, questions have emerged over how much longer Raducanu can continue dealing with the physical challenges that have repeatedly interrupted her career.
