Emma Raducanu expected to miss pre-Wimbledon event through injury

Wimbledon
Many believe it’s still only a matter of time before Emma Raducanu wins another Grand Slam. However

Emma Raducanu is expected to skip the Rothesay International Eastbourne, despite earlier suggestions the US Open champion might play in the final pre-Wimbledon grass court tournament.

The British number one saw her preparations for Wimbledon hit last week when she suffered an injury to her side in Nottingham and was forced to retire from her match against Viktorija Golubic.

Raducanu managed to get through only seven games before she was forced to quit the match, which sparked speculation she would enter the Devonshire Park event to get some time on grass ahead of her SW19 return.

However, the US Open champion has yet to request a wild card to enter the Rothesay International Eastbourne, which gets under way on June 20, and could head to the All England Club with limited time on grass.

The injury sustained at Nottingham was the latest in a string of fitness concerns for the 19-year-old, who has struggled to adapt to life on the WTA Tour since her remarkable grand slam win back in September.

It was the last Wimbledon where Raducanu burst on to the scene with victories over Vitalia Diatchenko, Marketa Vondrousova and Sorana Cirstea to become the youngest British women to reach the last 16 of the tournament in the open era.

After her exploits in SW19, the teenager managed to produce one of the biggest shocks in sporting history with success at the US Open after initially coming through qualifying.

Raducanu has not had such a big impact at the grand slams this year with second round appearances at the Australian Open and Roland Garros but expectation was high ahead of her Wimbledon return.

If the teenager does decide to miss the Rothesay International Eastbourne, it will mean she has only had 35 minutes of match time on grass before going into the third major of 2022.

World number 11 Raducanu has until 4pm on Friday to make a decision, with a wild card on the table if she feels sufficiently recovered from her side injury.

Emma Raducanu

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