Emma Raducanu out of U.S. Open as she recovers from stress fracture in right leg

2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu will miss this year’s tournament as she manages the stress fracture in her right leg that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon.

Raducanu pulled out of her home Slam on the eve of the tournament, hours after saying that she planned to play through a “lower leg niggle” in a news conference. She has not played or practiced since, and she will now miss the final major of the year in order to continue her recuperation.

The 23-year-old reached the final of Queen’s, the prestigious grass-court tuneup for Wimbledon, before her latest setback. It was only her second final since that U.S. Open win in 2021, and both of those have come this year. She ultimately ran out of gas and lost in straight sets to 2024 Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekić, before saying in a news conference that she had been managing a series of small issues, one which developed into this stress fracture.

Raducanu’s tennis has looked more fluent since May, when she rehired Andrew Richardson, who coached her to the title in New York, but she has not been able to find rhythm in 2026 when it comes to availability. The Brit has played just 21 matches, with a foot injury and a post-viral illness hampering the early part of her season.

Raducanu has not set a target for her return from this injury. The U.S. Open women’s singles main draw starts Aug. 30, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka seeking a third consecutive title.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Tennis, Women’s Tennis

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