Emma Raducanu Plans Wimbledon Return Despite Leg Injury Ahead of 1st-Round Match

Q: What is the real reason for Raducanu’s five-year cycle of injury since her US Open triumph?

There is no single hidden cause. The strongest evidence points to a mix of overuse, interrupted conditioning, and repeated setbacks that have made it hard for Raducanu to build durable physical continuity since her 2021 US Open win. Her current shin problem fits that pattern. Medical guidance on shin splints and related tibial stress injuries shows they are typically caused by repetitive loading, especially when training or match volume rises quickly after a lighter period. Raducanu herself said her run to the Queen’s final involved “a lot of load” after limited competition, which aligns with an overuse explanation rather than a mystery condition. That sits on top of a broader history of physical interruptions. She has had wrist and ankle surgeries, recurring back pain, foot and lower-leg issues, and a significant viral illness earlier this season that kept her out for weeks. Each absence reduces match fitness and training tolerance, and each comeback increases the risk of another flare-up if the workload rises too fast. Experts in tennis medicine and former players regularly point to this cycle: elite tennis places heavy stress on the body, and when preparation is repeatedly broken by injury or illness, players can end up trapped between undertraining and overloading. That appears to be the real driver of Raducanu’s five-year injury cycle — not one isolated problem, but a cumulative pattern of disrupted training, rushed rebuilding, and the physical demands of the tour.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 28

Emma Raducanu said Sunday she plans to play Wimbledon on Monday after a short practice at the All England Club eased immediate doubts over her fitness.
The 23-year-old Briton, seeded 30th, has been managing a shin problem for about a month and said she will keep treating it with her team before facing Croatia's Antonia Ruzic.
Fitness fears had intensified after Raducanu was seen in a protective boot on Wednesday and missed training on Thursday and Friday, then cut short a practice set on Saturday.
The injury is the latest disruption in a career repeatedly checked by physical setbacks, though her run to the Queen's final had raised hopes of another strong Wimbledon after two previous fourth-round appearances.