Emma Raducanu says she is still planning to play Wimbledon (Image: Getty)
Emma Raducanu says she will do “everything she can” to be ready for her opening match at Wimbledon on Monday. The British No.1 has been managing a lower leg niggle and missed four days of training in the week leading up to the Championships. She then cut short a practice set with Anna Kalinskaya when she returned to training on Saturday and postponed her pre-tournament press conference.
But Raducanu showed small signs of improvement in another practice session on Sunday, and then confirmed that she was currently planning to compete. The No. 30 seed faces Antonia Ruzic on Court 1 at 1pm on Monday, and spoke less than 24 hours before the match.
“I’m going to do everything with my team in terms of treatment, and that’s the current plan. That’s the plan right now, to play,” Raducanu declared, more than three hours after she hit with coach Andrew Richardson and hitting partner Alexis Canter at Aorangi Park.
The Brit was reportedly seen wearing a protective boot earlier in the week and had strapping at the front of her right ankle while hitting over the weekend. She explained: “I have a lower-leg niggle that I’ve been dealing with since before Queen’s, actually from the back end of the clay court season. I’ve been managing it.
“I think it’s something that I’d say recently has probably, after Queen’s maybe, during that week, was a lot of load for me. Five matches after having not competed for a while, I think it was just a lot of load. But yeah, I’m just managing it with my team as best as I possibly can, exhausting all options and doing what we can.”
It’s been a difficult week for Raducanu, who has not known whether she’d be fit enough to practice. “It’s difficult waking up each day, not knowing how it’s going to be. Not knowing whether you’re in or out causes lot of uncertainty,” the former US Open champion said.
“All I can do is my best every day. That’s what I’m doing, whether that’s the treatments, whether that’s the practice. I know I’m putting everything I possibly can into each day. With the people around me, they’re pushing me in the right way. Keeping morale and spirits high is important as well. Even if you’re going through a difficult time, I think allowing yourself to have moments of joy when they do come through is important.”
Emma Raducanu has been wearing strapping on her right ankle (Image: Getty)
But she did feel an improvement in Sunday’s training session, compared to Saturday, when she spent an hour at Aorangi Park before her abbreviated practice set with Kalinskaya on Court 3. Raducanu added: “Yesterday I played for an hour before playing with Anna. I think everyone knows I took a few days off, I didn’t practice. The first session, I was just a little bit tentative, I’d say, hesitant. Today I did feel better on the court, so that’s a positive sign.”
The 23-year-old also doesn’t know whether competing on Monday will aggravate the issue but is understandably keen to do whatever she can to play her home tournament.
“I don’t think any doctor can tell me that. I don’t think anyone can tell me I’m not going to make it worse. I just have to be aware of the risks I’m taking stepping out onto the court, weighing up if I’m willing to do that,” she explained.
“I think risk is always a factor. I think a lot of players are probably managing things. I think there are certain tournaments you’re willing to do more for, put yourself on the line more for, risk more for. For me, of course, Wimbledon is that. I think I probably pushed beyond anything that I would for any other tournament. That’s for a fact. It’s just to what extent.”
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