Raducanu ankle – Emma Raducanu finished a final practice session at Wimbledon with heavy strapping on her right ankle and lower shin, heading into her Monday opener against Antonia Ruzic on No 1 Court. Seeded 30th after a run to the Queen’s final, Raducanu postponed a planned
Emma Raducanu walked out for one more Wimbledon hit, smiling through the cameras — but the details told a different story. Heavy strapping covered her right ankle and lower shin as she treated the session like a late fitness test before her Wimbledon opener.
The British No 1, seeded 30th, is scheduled to face Croatian world No 61 Antonia Ruzic first on No 1 Court on Monday afternoon. Raducanu is due to speak to the media later today.
Her build-up has been shaped by the same question hanging over SW19: how much can she do, and how long can she handle the grind? On Saturday, she was supposed to hold a pre-Wimbledon press conference, but postponed her media duties after cutting short an earlier practice session that same day.
That change in plan came after she aggravated a pre-existing injury during her recent run to the Queen’s final. By Sunday morning at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park practice courts, she wore the same protection for an 11am hitting session that she had been using ahead of the earlier work.
There were encouraging signs. Raducanu appeared to strike the ball well and looked comfortable in the rallies. Yet at times her movement wasn’t entirely convincing, even if there was no push to overexert herself during practice. Andrew Richardson, her coach, stayed close throughout the session.
Raducanu and Ruzic have only played once before. That came in February in Dubai, where Raducanu lost to Ruzic. The Brit was suffering from a chest infection at the time, and that makes Monday’s matchup look more favourable on paper — even as the ankle issue remains the deciding factor.
For now, the smiles in practice are paired with a clear message: Raducanu is trying to measure what she can still put on the court before Wimbledon truly begins, with No 1 Court waiting and Monday afternoon already marked.
Emma Raducanu Wimbledon Antonia Ruzic Aorangi Park No 1 Court Queen's final ankle injury Andrew Richardson British No 1 seeded 30th
That ankle strap thing is wild… like how is she even playing?
I saw the headline and thought she was injured for real real. If she has that much strapping, wouldn’t it be smarter to withdraw?
So she’s smiling at Wimbledon but the article says her movement wasn’t convincing? That’s kinda how it was with that other tennis girl last year, they always look fine until they don’t. Also Antonia Ruzic being ranked 61 makes it sound like an easy match but the ankle is the whole thing. Idk why they’re still letting her do all the media stuff if she’s aggravated something.
Heavy strapping = she’s definitely hiding the injury, prob gonna be a flop on No 1 Court. But then they say she struck the ball well, so which is it? Wimbledon is tough but this sounds more like PR than fitness test? I didn’t even know she had a chest infection before Dubai, like that’s supposed to matter now too? Confusing.