Emma Raducanu’s preparation for Wimbledon has been disrupted by a fresh injury scare, according to reports, with the British No. 1 skipping practice on Thursday amid circulating rumours over a foot or leg complaint. Although her team has insisted she will be fit to compete, uncertainty continues to surround her participation in what is the most high-profile event on the British tennis calendar.
The timing is particularly difficult for Raducanu, who had appeared to be hitting her stride on the grass this summer. She reached the final of the WTA 500 event at the Queen’s Club earlier this month — her best result of the 2026 season — before withdrawing from the Nottingham Open in the aftermath of that run. She has not played a competitive match since. There had been speculation she might enter the grass-court event in Eastbourne, but sources suggest that appearance did not materialise, leaving Wimbledon as the next scheduled stop.
Fitness concerns have been a recurring theme throughout Raducanu’s career since her remarkable US Open triumph in September 2021 — a victory that remains one of the most extraordinary Grand Slam runs in the Open Era, achieved as a qualifier ranked 150th in the world. In 2026, her most significant setback prior to the current issue was an ongoing virus that kept her sidelined for several weeks earlier in the year.
One development viewed as a stabilising factor heading into this grass-court season is Raducanu’s reunion with coach Andrew Richardson, the man who oversaw her US Open campaign. Wimbledon would represent their first Grand Slam working together since that title in New York, now approaching five years ago.
Former coach Mark Petchey, speaking on Sky Sports, offered a candid and supportive assessment of Raducanu’s situation. “I love Emma to bits,” Petchey said. “I’ll take a bullet for her. I think her situation is so unique. I don’t envy her life, being judged every single week on a result that happened five years ago, that was an amazing story, was an absolute fairy tale.”
Petchey acknowledged the weight of expectation that has followed Raducanu since 2021. “She’s a hell of a tennis player. But it’s challenging because, if you don’t win another one, it’s deemed a sub-optimal outcome. And I think, for her, it’s been a very hard process to grow up as an 18-year-old, in the glare of the spotlight, with everything that came — everyone would have done the same, but they say they wouldn’t have done the same. That’s the thing that I find really hard, the cognitive dissonance from people.”
Despite those challenges, Petchey expressed firm belief in Raducanu’s capacity to win another major. “She can win another one for sure, I’ve always believed that about her. If she can find a way to just do the ordinary in an extraordinary way, every single day, and not look for a shortcut back to where she was in ’21, she’ll be fine.”
On the Richardson reunion specifically, Petchey added: “There’s so many things I love about it. We obviously had a conversation because my situation was never really going to change and she needed to find somebody. And I think going back to what she remembers as an amazing time of her life is perfect, and I think it will be very positive for her. I think they will have a great relationship. I also think that it was necessary almost for both of them, to have this time again, because there’s so many people that said she should never have got rid of Andrew. Even if it doesn’t work, at least you can cross that off the list.”
Raducanu’s team has not issued a formal withdrawal, and no official announcement had been made at the time of publication. Her participation at Wimbledon, where she has previously reached the fourth round, remains to be confirmed as the tournament approaches.
