Raducanu

Emma Raducanu will miss the US Open as she continues her recovery from a stress fracture.

The British number one suffered the injury to her right lower leg during the grass-court season and made a late decision to pull out of Wimbledon.

The 2021 US Open champion will now sit out this year’s event at Flushing Meadows, which begins on 23 August.

The decision was made after the 23-year-old’s latest consultations with her medical team. She had only recently stepped back on court wearing a protective boot.

Last summer Raducanu won her first matches at the US Open since she became a surprise champion but the past 12 months have been frustrating because of more persistent physical issues.

A foot injury severely hampered her pre-season training before she spent two and a half months off court with a post-viral illness after initially falling unwell in early February.

She returned for the end of the clay-court season having rehired Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to the US Open title, but the pair’s time on court together has been limited.

Raducanu enjoyed one of the best weeks of her career by reaching her biggest final since New York at Queen’s Club in June, but she has not played since.

Fears about the British number one’s fitness grew over the past week.

Raducanu was spotted wearing a protective boot on Wednesday, then was unable to train on Thursday and Friday because of what is believed to be a shin problem.

The 2021 US Open champion returned to the court on Saturday to test her fitness and, wearing strapping around her lower right leg, started with a gentle hour-long session with her team.

But she then cut short another practice session with Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya – when the pair played a set – with 10 minutes remaining.

There were signs of improvement in her practice session on Sunday morning.

Raducanu was slightly less tentative against hitting partner Alexis Canter – particularly when she pushed with her right leg on the forehand side – but it was not as rigorous a test of her movement as she got against Kalinskaya.

Later on Sunday, Raducanu told the media she was willing to push herself and take more risk with the injury in order to step out at the All England Club.

“Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process,” Raducanu said.

Britain’s Emma Raducanu overcomes an injury scare to beat Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5 and advance to the semi-finals of the Queen’s Club Championship.

READ MORE: Raducanu battles into Queen’s semis but Boulter goes out

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Raducanu had looked far from her best in her past two matches following illness but, 16 days after her first-round exit at Roland Garros, the Briton made afresh on Andy Murray Arena.

The 2021 US Open champion held a commanding 3-0 lead before rain halted play – but that would not disrupt her rhythm.

She captured the first set without reply after just 20 minutes on court, winning 25 of the 31 points played – hitting 11 winners and just two unforced errors.

Raducanu maintained that excellent level to begin the second set with a break of serve – although she would not have it entirely her own way.

A Queen’s quarter-finalist last year, Raducanu was hampered by double-faults as she allowed Blinkova back in – with four successive breaks of serve tying the set at three games apiece.

However, Raducanu broke again, courtesy of a fortuitous net cord, to set up the chance to serve out the match, and she wore a beaming smile in the sunshine as a closing backhand winner down the line on her second match point was met by huge cheers.

Writing ‘back home’ with a heart on a TV camera lens before exiting the court, Raducanu will return to face either Romanian Sorana Cirstea or Australia’s Maddison Inglis in the second round.