Emma Raducanu’s status for Wimbledon is in doubt after she was forced to retire from the first round of the Nottingham Open.
Prior to the match against Viktorija Golubic, Raducanu had said she was feeling good.
“I have had some tough patches in the last eight months or 12 months,” the British teenager told ITV. “But I’m feeling really good about how I’m approaching things and the work that I’m doing.”
Raducanu required an injury timeout early but powered through to go up 3-1 in the first set. But she then dropped three games in a row and ultimately decided to withdraw from the match and the tournament. After the match, she said that she was suffering from a “freak injury.”
“I was feeling really good, to be honest, to go out and play and open up my grass season at home, and the welcome I got straight away was really nice and I felt really comfortable, to be honest,” she said. “First game, absolute freak. I think I pulled something. I’m not really sure what exactly happened. I just came off court.
“But, absolute freak injury, I think. I don’t know what I could’ve done more about it.”
Since winning her first major at the U.S. Open last year, the 19-year-old has struggled with injuries. A blister on her finger in January led to a loss in the Australian Open. The following month, a leg injury forced her to retire from a first-round match in Mexico. At Indian Wells she retired in the first round due to a stiff back, while a foot blister led to a loss at the Billie Jean King Cup.
In May, she withdrew from the Italian Open with back pain.
Raducanu admitted that she’ll get this injury, which she said feels like it could be around her ribs, checked out “then we’ll see from there” in regards to Wimbledon. The year’s third major begins on June 27 in London.
“I’ve got no idea [about being fit for Wimbledon],” she said. “It could’ve just seized up and spasmed and then it’s really bad for a few days. But I’ve got no idea. I can’t diagnose myself, so I’ll get it checked out.”
