Emma Laducanu has withdrawn from Wimbledon after tests revealed her foot injury was a stress fracture.
Britain’s No. 1 player addressed the media at the All England Club on Sunday after days of speculation about his fitness and said he was scheduled to face Antonia Ruzic on Court 1 on Monday lunchtime.
However, things changed later that night, with Raducanu accepting that he would be forced to miss his home Grand Slam for the second time in four years.
The 23-year-old wrote on Instagram: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but unfortunately I have to withdraw from Wimbledon this year.
“I have done everything in my power to be on the starting line tomorrow, but as a result of tonight’s final examination, the small injury that had been healing has developed into a stress fracture, and I was advised medically not to push myself too hard.
“This is really difficult to process because playing in front of my home crowd at Wimbledon means everything to me.
“I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement, which is so valuable especially during times like these. I look forward to seeing you when I return.”
Alarm was raised on Wednesday after Mr Radukanu was reportedly seen wearing protective boots.
She did not appear on the practice court until Saturday, when she wore a strap on her lower right leg and moved cautiously, cutting short her practice against Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, who had lost her fourth straight match.
All eyes were on Raducanu during a session with hitting partner Alexis Kanter on Sunday morning, which looked more positive even though the former US Open champion hadn’t fully tested her moves.
“I will do everything I can with my team when it comes to treatment,” Raducanu said at a press conference, revealing that he had been battling the problem since before he played in the final at Queen’s Club two weeks ago.
“That’s the plan to play at the moment. I’ve been having pain in the bottom of my foot since before the Queens game, actually since the end of the clay court season.
“That week against Queens was a big burden for me. Five games after not having played for a while. But I just have to deal with it as best I can and with the team, exhaust all options and do the best I can.”
Raducanu smiled and laughed during Sunday’s practice session, raising hopes that he could at least be on the court.
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“Yesterday I played for an hour before playing with Anna (Kalinskaya),” she said. “I think everyone knows that I took a few days off and didn’t practice. In the first session, I was a little hesitant, or hesitant. Today I felt better on the court, so that’s a positive sign.”
This will be a blow to this year, which has once again been in turmoil. Raducanu struggled with foot problems during the preseason and was sidelined for two and a half months in the spring with a post-viral illness.
“We had a great week in Queens,” Raducanu said. He previously missed Wimbledon in 2023 after undergoing surgery on both wrists and one ankle.
“All I want to do is keep building that momentum. I had a tough start to the season and had a lot of timeouts. I have great people around me, and I think that’s one thing that really helped me with this recent setback.”
Raducanu had said she was willing to risk making her problems worse in order to compete at Wimbledon, but that ultimately proved impossible and she now faces being sidelined from competing again.
