At 10pm on Sunday, just hours before she was scheduled to step onto Centre Court, Emma Raducanu posted on Instagram that she would not be playing at Wimbledon. The British No 1, seeded 30th, had been managing a niggle in her lower right leg since the Queen's Club final, but a final scan confirmed it had developed into a stress fracture. “Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process,” she wrote.
Raducanu, 23, had shown signs of optimism earlier in the day. She practised on Sunday morning with strapping on her shin, laughed with her team, and told reporters she was “willing to push myself” and “risk more” for Wimbledon. But the scan tipped the balance. Medically advised to stop, she withdrew, leaving her first-round opponent, Croatia's Antonia Ruzic, to face a lucky loser instead.
“Emma Raducanu's Wimbledon withdrawal due to a stress fracture is the latest in a series of injury setbacks for the British No 1.”
This is not an isolated incident. Raducanu’s career has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries since she burst onto the scene by winning the US Open in 2021 as a qualifier. She missed most of the 2022 season after wrist and ankle surgeries, and 2024 brought a foot problem that hampered her pre-season training. This year, a virus kept her out for much of February, and a post-viral illness sidelined her for two months between March and May. The current stress fracture – a small crack in the bone caused by repetitive impact – is the latest in a pattern of physical setbacks that have prevented her from building sustained momentum on court.
A stress fracture is a common overuse injury in tennis, particularly in the lower leg and foot, where the forces of running, jumping and changing direction repeatedly load the bones. It starts as a “niggle” – a dull ache or pain that can be managed – but if ignored, can develop into a full fracture. Treatment typically involves rest, sometimes a protective boot, and a gradual return to activity. Raducanu had been spotted wearing an orthopaedic boot earlier in the week and was unable to practise on Thursday and Friday. She cut short a training session with Anna Kalinskaya on Saturday, and though she felt “better” on Sunday, the scan revealed the damage had progressed.
For UK tennis fans, this withdrawal is particularly painful. Wimbledon is the home Grand Slam, and Raducanu has twice reached the fourth round there – her best result in a major since that US Open triumph. Her excellent run to the Queen's Club final earlier this month had raised hopes that she could finally string together a healthy season. Instead, she misses Wimbledon for the second time in four years (she also missed 2023 due to injury). The All England Club will now rely on other British players to carry the home interest, but Raducanu’s absence will be keenly felt by the crowd that so wanted to see her compete.
Q: What is a stress fracture? A stress fracture is a tiny crack in a bone, usually caused by repetitive stress rather than a single impact. In tennis players, they commonly occur in the shin, foot or lower leg. Treatment requires complete rest from the aggravating activity for several weeks to allow the bone to heal.
Q: How long will Emma Raducanu be out for? Recovery from a stress fracture typically takes six to eight weeks of rest, followed by a gradual return to training. Raducanu is expected to miss Wimbledon and likely the US hard-court season, including the US Open, though no official timeline has been given.
Q: What does this mean for her ranking? Raducanu was ranked No 32 before the tournament. Withdrawing means she will not defend any ranking points from her 2024 Wimbledon performance (fourth round, 240 points). She will drop in the rankings, but as a former top-10 player and US Open champion, she can use protected ranking entries if needed once she returns.
What happens next? Raducanu will now undergo a period of rest and rehabilitation. She said she looks forward to “being back” and thanked fans for their support. The immediate focus for British tennis shifts to the remaining singles players at Wimbledon, but the underlying question remains: can Raducanu ever stay healthy enough to fulfil the promise of her 2021 breakthrough? For now, there is only sympathy for a player who, yet again, has been stopped by her body at the sport's biggest moment.