Raducanu fitness in doubt after cutting short Wimbledon practice

Emma Raducanu's hopes of being fit for Wimbledon suffered a major blow on Saturday when the British No.1 cut short a practice session just two days before her opening match.

The 23-year-old, seeded 30th at the All England Club, pulled out of a practice set against Russian Anna Kalinskaya with 10 minutes remaining. She had not trained on Thursday or Friday due to a recurring shin problem, and wore strapping on her lower right leg during a light session earlier in the day.

Raducanu is scheduled to face Croatia's Antonia Ruzic on Court One on Monday at 13:00 BST. Her pre-tournament media conference was cancelled on Saturday afternoon and has been rescheduled for Sunday.

Injury concerns resurface

• Raducanu missed two days of training before attempting to practice on Saturday.
• She lost four games in the practice set against Kalinskaya before stopping.
• The 2021 US Open champion has been plagued by injuries since her breakthrough title.
• A viral illness limited her to just six matches between early February and the start of Queen's.
• Reaching the final at Queen's last week saw her play five matches in six days, her heaviest workload since February.

Raducanu had shown encouraging form at Queen's, reuniting with coach Andrew Richardson — who guided her to the 2021 US Open title — and playing an aggressive brand of tennis. However, the intense schedule has taken a physical toll, leaving her preparation for Wimbledon severely disrupted.

What's next

Raducanu will undergo a fitness test on Sunday before making a final decision on whether she can take to the court on Monday. Even if she is declared fit to face Ruzic, her lack of practice and recent injury history cast doubt on her ability to compete deep into the tournament.