U.S Open champion Emma Raducanu is not sure if she’ll be cleared to wrestle at Wimbledon this year after suffering a “freak” injury during a WTA 250 tennis competition in Nottingham, England, on Tuesday.
Romania‘s Monica Niculescu retired from her match against Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic at Wimbledon after suffering an injury to her side. The 19-year-old, who is world No. 43 in the WTA rankings, was seen clutching her side and grimacing with pain during her first-round match against Golubic on June 23. It comes as Germany’s Alexander Zverev underwent surgery on torn ligaments in his right ankle, which will almost certainly rule him out of Wimbledon. The injury forced Zverev to retire from his match against eventual champion Rafael Nadal at the French Open, screaming in agony as he appeared to roll his ankle. The grass court major is set to begin on June 27, but it is unlikely that Zverev will recover in time for the tournament.While Raducanu says she has “no idea” whether she’ll compete, she told reporters after her match against Golubic that she would be better prepared if she participated in Wimbledon this year than she was during last year’s tournament.”
“First game, absolute freak. I think I pulled something. I can’t figure out exactly what happened. I just came off court,” Raducanu said after the match.
Raducanu, who reached the last-16 at Wimbledon last year, also lamented the string of fitness issues she’s struggled with since winning her maiden grand slam. She has been unable to find consistency since her breakthrough year and is currently without a coach.
Zverev starts rehab
Zverev is currently undertaking rehab after taking some time off for surgery.
The 25-year-old is hunting for the first grand slam trophy of his career but will have to wait while his injury recovers. “We all have our own journey in life. This is part of mine,” Zverev said in a post on Instagram Tuesday. “After further examination in Germany, we received confirmation that all three of the lateral ligaments in my right ankle were torn.” To return to competition as quickly as possible, to ensure all the ligaments heal properly, and to reclaim full stability in my ankle, surgery was the best choice.”
I look forward to beginning my rehabilitation and will work tooth and nail to return stronger than ever.
