A serious cloud now hangs over Emma Raducanu's participation at Wimbledon after the British number one walked off the practice court on Saturday and her pre-tournament press conference was subsequently called off, throwing her opening round preparation into disarray less than 48 hours before her scheduled first match.
A Practice Session That Raised Alarm Bells
Raducanu, 23 years old, arrived at the Aorangi Park practice courts at the All England Club with visible strapping around her lower right leg. She spent around an hour on the practice courts working with her team, but the session was structured carefully, with her mobility and movement not heavily tested. It was apparent that those around her were managing the situation with considerable caution.
The situation grew more worrying when she moved to court three to play a practice set with Russian player Anna Kalinskaya. In what should have been a routine hit, Raducanu lost four games and then made the decision to stop with 10 minutes of the set still remaining. It was a clear signal that something was not right.
Press Conference Called Off, Media Duties Moved to Sunday
Within less than half an hour of leaving the court, the announcement came that her news conference, which had been scheduled for around 16:00 BST on Saturday, had been cancelled outright. Wimbledon organisers confirmed her media commitments would be rescheduled and moved to Sunday. The abrupt cancellation only deepened the sense of concern around her condition, though no official statement was made about the specific nature or severity of the problem.
Monday's First-Round Match Now in Serious Doubt
Raducanu is seeded 30th at the All England Club and faces Croatia's Antonia Ruzic in her first-round match on Court One on Monday at 13:00 BST. Even if she recovers enough to compete, the fractured and disrupted build-up is a troubling sign ahead of a Grand Slam, where players are asked to compete across multiple rounds and need to be in close to full physical condition to survive the punishing schedule.
A Career Repeatedly Interrupted by Injury
For Raducanu, injury concerns are a recurring and deeply frustrating feature of her post-2021 career. Since her extraordinary triumph at the US Open in New York five years ago, a string of physical setbacks has prevented her from maintaining any sustained run of form. Earlier this year, a viral illness cut her season severely short, and between early February and the start of Queen's, which took place earlier this month, she managed just six matches in total.
Richardson's Return and a Style She Wants Back
There had been genuine optimism around her season following her decision to reunite with coach Andrew Richardson, the man who guided her through her US Open campaign before the two parted ways immediately after that victory. Back working together, the partnership has been focused on rebuilding the aggressive, attacking brand of tennis that made her so dangerous in New York, and at Queen's there were glimpses of that style returning.
Five Matches in Six Days and the Physical Price
At Queen's, Raducanu played five matches across six days, the most competitive tennis she had been involved in since February. For a player who had managed so little match time in recent months, that condensed and intense schedule placed an unusual burden on her body, and the physical cost of it now appears to be making itself felt at the worst possible moment, on the eve of Wimbledon.
During the earlier part of her Saturday session, Raducanu was seen laughing and relaxed with her team, which offered a small note of reassurance. But the combination of the right leg strapping, an early exit from the practice set against Kalinskaya, and the cancelled press conference has left the picture looking worrying, and her presence on Court One on Monday very much in question.
