Photo Credit: Getty Images
British tennis star Emma Raducanu missed a scheduled practice session at Wimbledon on Thursday as she continues to manage an injury issue that appears to have worsened during her recent run to the final at Queen's Club Championships.
The 23-year-old enjoyed an encouraging week at Queen's earlier this month, reaching the final before finishing runner-up to Croatian player Donna Vekic. During the tournament, Raducanu played five matches in seven days, marking one of her busiest stretches of competition this season.
She had already shown signs of discomfort during the event after slipping in her quarter-final match, which left her wearing protective strapping on her left thigh. However, reports suggest that the thigh injury is not the primary issue affecting her preparations for Wimbledon.
Sources close to the situation indicate that Raducanu is currently dealing with a shin problem. Concerns about her fitness increased after she was reportedly spotted leaving the All England Club on Wednesday wearing an orthopaedic boot on her right leg.
Following her appearance in the Queen's final, Raducanu acknowledged that she had been managing several minor physical issues in recent weeks. She explained that the demanding schedule of matches had added to the strain on her body, although she viewed the heavy workload as a positive sign after spending periods on the sidelines.
The British number one's run to the final represented a significant boost to her season. Prior to Queen's, she had struggled for form and had not recorded a match victory since early March. Her progress had also been interrupted by a viral illness that forced her to miss several tournaments.
In an effort to carefully manage her fitness ahead of Wimbledon, Raducanu chose not to compete at either the Nottingham Open last week or the Eastbourne International this week. Despite those withdrawals, she was seen training at the All England Club on Monday, raising hopes that she would be ready for the year's third Grand Slam.
Raducanu enters Wimbledon as the 30th seed and remains expected to compete when the tournament begins on Monday. She is due to discover her opening-round opponent when the draw takes place on Friday.
With Wimbledon just days away, attention will now focus on whether the former US Open champion can recover fully and begin the tournament without further fitness concerns.
