Emma Raducanu out of Wimbledon as she announces injury setback
Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to an injury, the British number one announced on the eve of the tournament.
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Writing on Instagram just after 10pm on Sunday, she said: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but sadly I've had to withdraw from this year's Wimbledon.
"I've done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I've been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I've been medically advised to stop pushing through."
"Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process."
"I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Especially at a time like this, it is invaluable. I look forward to seeing you when I'm back."
The alarm was raised when Raducanu was reportedly spotted wearing a protective boot on Wednesday.
She did not take to the practice courts until Saturday, when she cut short a session against Russian Anna Kalinskaya after moving gingerly and losing four games in a row.
All eyes were on Raducanu during her session with hitting partner Alexis Canter on Sunday morning, and she came through that well enough to give her hope of taking part in the tournament.
“Yesterday I played for an hour before playing with Anna,” added the 23-year-old, who again wore strapping on her leg.“I think everyone knows I took a few days off, I didn’t practise.
The first session I was just a little bit tentative, I’d say, hesitant. Today I did feel better on the court, so that’s a positive sign
.”Raducanu was all smiles during practice despite yet another setback, and ahead of her most important tournament of the season.