Wimbledon's golden girl Emma Raducanu is facing a potential meltdown in her quest for tennis supremacy, as doubts over her fitness threaten to derail her bid for glory at the All England Club. The 23-year-old's practice session on Thursday was cancelled without explanation, fuelling speculation about the extent of her physical troubles.
Raducanu's camp has confirmed that she's battling a 'niggle', adding to a season blighted by injury woes and interrupted by periods of enforced rest. The US Open champion hasn't been seen in action since reaching the final at Queen's Club over a week ago, opting out of subsequent events in Nottingham and Eastbourne as she struggled to shake off her condition.
Just when it seemed Raducanu was back on track after a promising run at Queen's, which included playing two matches in one day due to rain delays – a feat that would have left even the most hardened pros gasping for breath. Her reunion with coach Andrew Richardson had sparked renewed hope of a strong Wimbledon showing, but now it seems those high-flying ambitions may be grounded.
Raducanu's stop-start season has been a recurring theme, with her two-and-a-half-month absence due to illness in February still fresh in the memory. The condensed schedule that followed seemed to take its toll, and now her body is crying out for a break – but time is running perilously short before Wimbledon.
The British tennis faithful will be holding their collective breath as they wait for news on Raducanu's fitness, desperate to see their golden girl take to the grass courts of SW19. But with each passing day, the stakes grow higher and the pressure mounts – can Raducanu overcome her physical woes and make a statement at her home Grand Slam?