Raducanu weighs fitness risks before Wimbledon start
An abbreviated hitting session leaves the British number one sorting through serve timing and movement questions with her opener against Antonia Ruzic now just hours away.
Emma Raducanu cut her practice session at Wimbledon short before canceling a scheduled news conference as concerns about her fitness deepened. The British number one arrived at Court Three with visible strapping on her right ankle and lower leg, beginning with stationary baseline exchanges that held steady for the first ninety minutes. Once point play started the rhythm fractured quickly.
Ankle strapping alters footwork timing
Grass rewards rapid recovery steps after wide serves yet the tape appeared to shorten her push-off on the right side. Anna Kalinskaya moved the ball early and exposed the limitation as Raducanu fell behind 4-0 in the opening points game. Each missed first serve forced a second delivery that lacked the usual slice bite, allowing Kalinskaya to step inside the baseline and dictate.
Discussions with coach Andrew Richardson lengthened between points as adjustments to stance width and toss placement were tested on the fly. The session ended ten minutes early midway through a service game, followed by a brief embrace before a swift exit from the All England Club’s Aorangi Park courts.
Coaching continuity faces fresh test
Wimbledon 2026: Tough draws for British stars Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper places added external pressure on the home players ahead of Monday’s schedule. Emma Raducanu’s coaching carousel: Nine different coaches over five years -- her latest might be the one details the return of Richardson, the voice that guided her US Open title. That familiarity could accelerate tactical fixes, especially on serve placement to exploit an opponent’s backhand side.
Emma Raducanu’s former coach reveals key to next Grand Slam title stressed the value of consistent one-two patterns that move opponents wide before closing space with heavy crosscourt forehands. Any ankle limitation narrows the margin for error on those patterns, forcing a choice between low slice approaches and higher-risk heavy topspin that demands firmer footing.
Ruzic clash carries added stakes
The scheduled first-round match against Croatian Antonia Ruzic at 1 p.m. on Monday therefore carries weight beyond the result itself. The Croatian prefers flat, penetrating groundstrokes that travel through the court on grass, so Raducanu will need to shorten swing paths on returns to neutralize pace and redirect crosscourt rather than attempt low-percentage down-the-line passes. Another withdrawal would extend a pattern of promising stretches followed by enforced breaks after she already missed two and a half months to a post-viral illness earlier in the spring.
She reached the final at Queen’s Club two weeks earlier yet has not played a match since. The surface at the All England Club rewards clean transitions and early aggression, elements that require trust in the lower body now placed in question. How quickly any adjustments translate from practice court to match court will shape whether she can sustain rallies long enough to expose occasional depth issues on the other side of the net.