Emma Raducanu‘s Wimbledon comeback has taken a concerning turn over the past few days. Just two days ago, she left the court wearing an orthopaedic boot on her leg and later skipped a scheduled practice session. Now, signs of a possible withdrawal from SW19 are growing stronger, leaving fans increasingly anxious about the Briton’s return.

The 23-year-old Briton has already skipped her scheduled pre-tournament press conference and ended her second practice session early on Saturday afternoon. The former US Open champion was also seen wearing a strap on her lower right leg during practice. The sports news editor of The i Paper, James Gray, suggested she may be trying to avoid a repeat of what happened at the Italian Open.

At the Rome Masters this year, Raducanu withdrew less than 30 minutes after giving upbeat media interviews before her opening round match. That memory has now been added to the growing uncertainty around her SW19 campaign.

The current British No. 1 missed both her Thursday and Friday practice sessions and finally returned on Saturday for 2 separate practice matches. Her opening session took place at the Aorangi Park practice courts, which later moved to Court 3 to hit with 27-year-old Russian Anna Kalinskaya.

However, the session did not last long for the Briton. Raducanu fell 0-4 to the former world No. 11 before signaling to her team that she wanted to call it a day. The Briton was then seen leaving the court with her team, with the early exit only adding to the concerns surrounding her fitness.

After she left, the tournament confirmed that Raducanu had postponed her scheduled press conference until Sunday. That decision further fueled withdrawal speculation.

Combined with the apparent issue in her lower right leg, many fans are now wondering whether she will be fit enough to compete at Wimbledon.

Injuries have repeatedly disrupted her career since her fairytale 2021 US Open triumph. More recently, a viral illness limited her to just 6 matches between early February and the start of the HSBC Championship.

Still, reaching the Queen’s Club final, despite losing in straight sets, marked an encouraging step forward. Although one of her teammates confirmed just two days ago that she was completely fine, the latest developments certainly have painted a different picture.

Emma Raducanu faces a potential third-round clash with Aryna Sabalenka

Along with the injury concerns, which can cost her home Slam entry this year, Emma Raducanu also faces a difficult road at SW19. Even if she is fit enough to compete tomorrow, her opening match will not be easy as she takes on Croatian ace Antonia Ružić.

Their only previous meeting came at the Dubai Tennis Championships this year, where Ruzic entered the WTA 1000 event as a lucky loser before defeating Raducanu 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.

The challenges do not end there. Raducanu has once again landed in the same section of the draw as current top seed Aryna Sabalenka. It is the second consecutive year that the two have shared the same quarter of the SW19 draw. 

If Raducanu reaches the 3rd round, she is very likely to face the Belarusian. The H2H record also favors the Belarusian, as Raducanu has lost all 3 of her previous meetings against Sabalenka.

Raducanu also finds herself in a stacked section featuring four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, Leylah Fernandez, and 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko.

That means there is little room for error from the very beginning, as every match could prove to be a major challenge for the former world No. 10.

Now, the biggest question is whether Emma can recover from her current injury concerns in time. If she does, she will hope to produce another memorable run at the All-England Club this time.