Emma Raducanu misses practice with shin injury

Emma Raducanu’s missed practice sessions before Wimbledon were an early sign of the lower-leg problem that ended her tournament before it began. Wimbledon later said the British No. 1 withdrew because the issue had developed into a stress fracture. The sequence matters because the missed work at Aorangi Park was not an isolated scheduling change but part of a worsening injury picture around the Championships. Raducanu had been due to begin her singles campaign against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic on Day 1. ### What do the missed practice sessions tell us? Aorangi Park is Wimbledon’s main practice area, and missed sessions there are often one of the clearest public signs that a player is managing a physical problem before a match. In Raducanu’s case, the absence aligned with broader concern about her lower leg rather than a routine day off. Wimbledon’s own account of her withdrawal said she had been “managing a lower leg issue” before the injury worsened. (wimbledon.com) Wimbledon said Raducanu had tried “everything possible” to compete, but had been advised to stop when the problem became a stress fracture. That official description gives the clearest explanation of why practice time mattered: a player trying to protect a lower leg will often reduce court load first, then test the injury, then withdraw if the pain or medical advice rules out competition. (wimbledon.com) ### Was it definitely a shin injury? Wimbledon’s official statement described the problem as a “lower leg issue” that developed into a stress fracture. The tournament did not specify the exact bone in that notice, so the safest verified wording is lower-leg injury rather than a more precise medical label. That distinction matters because outside reports and commentary can use shorthand such as “shin injury,” but Wimbledon’s own statement is narrower. (wimbledon.com) For a standalone explainer, the confirmed fact is that the injury was in the lower leg and serious enough to become a stress fracture before her opening match. ### How close did Raducanu get to playing? (wimbledon.com) Wimbledon said Raducanu was scheduled to open on Day 1 against Antonia Ruzic. The official withdrawal notice said she had been set to play on No. 1 Court, which shows the injury decision came after the draw and order-of-play planning had already placed her in a marquee home-tournament slot. Raducanu’s quote in Wimbledon’s statement underscored how late and difficult the decision was. “Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me,” she said. (wimbledon.com) That is consistent with a player who kept trying to manage the problem through the final pre-match days rather than pulling out well in advance. ### Why does a stress fracture change everything? (wimbledon.com) A stress fracture is different from a general soreness issue because it points to structural damage rather than discomfort that can simply be taped or managed through a match. Wimbledon said Raducanu had been advised to stop pushing through once the problem progressed to that stage. For a grass-court event, that is especially relevant because movement requires repeated low, explosive changes of direction and hard stops into the court. (wimbledon.com) A lower-leg stress fracture leaves little room for compromise if a player is expected to serve, recover and change direction over a full match. ### What was next once she withdrew? Day 1 of Wimbledon 2026 began on June 29, according to the tournament schedule, and Raducanu’s withdrawal removed her from the ladies’ singles before that opening assignment against Ruzic. (wimbledon.com) Wimbledon’s statement placed the next step not on court but in recovery, after medical advice told her to stop competing.