Emma Raducanu gives update on Wimbledon chances after French Open withdrawal
Emma Raducanu has talked up her chances of success at Wimbledon this year after her surprise withdrawal from the French Open. The 2021 US Open champion opted against competing on the clay at Roland Garros in order to focus on a training block ahead of a busy summer schedule, which includes Wimbledon and the American hard court swing. The 21-year-old, who was absent from Wimbledon last year after missing the majority of the 2023 campaign due to undergoing surgery on her ankle and both wrists, will likely need a wild card for the tournament at the All England Club.
Yet despite not playing competitively since mid-April, Raducanu believes her form can come together at Wimbledon, with the tournament starting on 1 July. “I feel good, I’m playing well and I’m training really hard,” she said, when asked about Wimbledon in an interview with Grazie. “I’m doing a lot of good things and I know it’s going to happen. If not this Wimbledon, the next Wimbledon.
“No one ever knows when it’s going to show up but I’m doing a lot of good things and I’ve put in a lot of work and it’s heading in a good place. “I fully back myself and trust myself. It’s just a matter of when really. I’ve been doing the right things and I’m just looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd.” A few months prior to her famous success as a qualifier in New York three years ago, Raducanu reached the fourth round of Wimbledon but could only make round two on her second appearance in 2022.
This season, the Brit has worked her way back into competitive action, starring for Great Britain in a Billie Jean King Cup win over France on indoor clay but later admitting she had “physical and emotional exhaustion” following a first-round loss in Madrid last month. She has not played a tour match since and is now training on the grass ahead of the British summer, with her first appearance scheduled to be the Nottingham Open, starting on 8 June.
