Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon hopes were thrown into fresh doubt on Saturday after the British No 1 cut short a training session, cancelled her scheduled media duties and was seen heavily strapping her right ankle.
The 30th seed had not trained on Thursday or Friday after being photographed leaving the All England Club wearing a medical boot on her right foot – an injury she has been managing since her run to the final at Queen’s Club. She returned to practice on Saturday afternoon with heavy tape on her right ankle and lower leg, warming up with Anna Kalinskaya on the Aorangi Park practice courts before the pair moved to Court 3 to begin a practice set.
“Emma Raducanu cut short practice and cancelled media duties, raising fears over her Wimbledon fitness.”
Raducanu’s mood quickly darkened once she was forced to move during points, struggling to push off her right ankle when striking the ball. Down 0-4, 0-15, she netted a backhand while off-balance and gestured to Kalinskaya that she could no longer play. After embracing the Russian at the net, Raducanu and her coaching team left the court in solemn mood with 15 minutes still to play.
Shortly after her practice, Raducanu’s pre-tournament media duties – scheduled for Saturday – were rescheduled for Sunday. The Briton, who was sidelined for most of the off-season by a foot injury and missed two months between March and May due to post-viral illness, is due to face Antonia Ruzic, the Croatian world No 60, on No 1 Court at 1pm on Monday.
Raducanu began the grass-court season searching for her first win in three years and appeared to have turned a corner after playing some of her best tennis to reach the Queen’s final. Instead, her focus is once again on keeping her body in one piece rather than improving as a player.