Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, has announced that she will be taking a break from tennis for the next few months to recover from surgery on both of her wrists and one of her ankles. In a handwritten letter posted on Instagram, Raducanu explained that she will be undergoing minor procedures on her hands and ankle to address longstanding injuries, which means she will miss this summer's tennis events, including the French Open and Wimbledon.
Raducanu has been plagued by injuries over the past 18 months, which have hindered her chances of achieving on-court success. She suffered an ankle injury before the Australian Open earlier this year and had to withdraw from the Austin Open in February due to tonsillitis. Additionally, a recurring wrist injury, which affected her last season, resurfaced during the Miami Open, which resulted in her exiting in the first round.
The 20-year-old's recent performances have seen her slip down the world rankings to No. 85, and this injury break means she is likely to fall out of the top 100. In her Instagram post, Raducanu expressed her disappointment at missing out on this summer's tennis events, but acknowledged that the last 10 months have been difficult as she has dealt with a recurring injury on both hands.
"I tried my best to manage the pain and play through it most of this year and end of last year by reducing practice load dramatically, missing weeks of training as well as cutting last season short to try heal it, unfortunately it's not enough," she said.
The French Open is set to begin on May 22 in Paris, while Wimbledon will start on July 3 in London. It remains to be seen when Raducanu will return to the court, but her fans will be hoping for a speedy recovery and a return to form in the near future.