Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, announced on Wednesday that she will miss the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon tournaments due to a “minor” procedure on both of her hands and ankle. The British tennis player, who is currently ranked 85th in the world, has struggled with injuries in recent months, most recently withdrawing from the Madrid Open because of a hand problem.
Recurring Hand Injury
Raducanu shared on her social media accounts that she has been dealing with a “recurring injury on a bone of both hands” for the past ten months. She posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed with her right wrist and hand bandaged. “I’m disappointed to share that I will be out for the next few months and while I am at it will have another minor procedure that is due on my ankle,” Raducanu wrote.
Raducanu became a household name in the world of tennis in 2021 when she made a surprising run to the fourth round at Wimbledon as a teenager ranked outside the top 300, then won the US Open to become the first qualifier to claim a Grand Slam singles title. However, the 20-year-old has not made it past the second round at a major tournament since then.
Struggles with Injuries
This season, Raducanu has a 5-5 record and hasn’t played since a straight-set loss to Jelena Ostapenko last month in the first round at Stuttgart, Germany. She has tried her best to manage the pain and play through it for most of this year, reducing her practice load dramatically, missing weeks of training and cutting short her last season to try and heal the injury. Unfortunately, her efforts were not enough to prevent the need for surgery.
In her social media post, Raducanu expressed her disappointment at missing the summer events and thanked all her fans who continued to support her. “It pains me that I will miss the summer events, and I tried to downplay the issues so I thank all my fans who continued to support me when you did not know the facts,” she said.
The French Open is set to begin on May 28, and Wimbledon will begin on July 3. With Raducanu withdrawing from both tournaments, fans will miss the opportunity to watch her play in two of the biggest tennis events of the year.
Wimbledon Sends Message of Support
The official Wimbledon Twitter account also sent a message of support to Raducanu, saying, “We’ll miss you this year, Emma — rest up and come back stronger.”
It is yet unclear when Raducanu will return to the court after her surgery, but fans are hopeful that the rising star will come back stronger than ever. Her announcement serves as a reminder of the importance of taking care of one’s physical health, even when it means stepping away from the game temporarily.
