Emma Raducanu’s injury struggles have taken another painful turn, with the 2021 US Open champion ruled out of this year’s tournament after suffering a stress fracture in her lower right leg. The setback means the British star will also miss the entire North American hard-court swing, including the Cincinnati Open, while she has also been left out of Great Britain’s squad for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals as she continues her recovery.
Raducanu has not played since finishing runner-up at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in June, where she produced one of her strongest runs since her fairytale triumph at Flushing Meadows five years ago.
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However, the heavy workload during the grass-court season aggravated an issue that had been troubling her since the clay campaign. Further medical scans confirmed a Grade 4 stress fracture, forcing the 23-year-old to miss Wimbledon, the Canadian Open, Cincinnati and now the US Open. Doctors have advised a recovery period of between eight and 16 weeks.
ANOTHER SETBACK FOR RADUCANU
The latest injury adds to a frustrating pattern that has repeatedly interrupted Raducanu’s career since she became the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title at the 2021 US Open. Wrist and ankle surgeries, recurring fitness issues and illness have prevented her from building sustained momentum despite flashes of her immense talent.
There had been encouraging signs before the injury struck. Raducanu reached the final at Queen’s Club, only the second WTA Tour final of her career, after also finishing runner-up in Cluj-Napoca earlier in the season. Those performances suggested she was rediscovering the form that once made her one of the brightest stars in women’s tennis.
Her absence from Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad further underlines the severity of the setback, with British No. 2 Katie Boulter set to lead the team in China. Missing the US Open will be particularly painful for Raducanu, who captured the title in New York as an 18-year-old qualifier without dropping a set in one of the most remarkable Grand Slam triumphs in tennis history.
For now, Raducanu’s priority will be recovery rather than competition. Having already missed Wimbledon, Cincinnati and now the US Open, the former champion will hope this extended spell on the sidelines finally allows her to put an end to the injury nightmare that has overshadowed much of her career since her historic breakthrough.
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