WIMBLEDON — It was the news no one really wanted to read, apart from the most ill-spirited of trolls.
For the rest of us, Emma Raducanu pulling out of Wimbledon with a stress fracture late on Sunday night, barely 12 hours before her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic, was the latest blow in a career that has been dogged by injuries. You cannot help but feel sorry for someone who is such an obviously talented player that even missing half of the season, she is still ranked No 32 in the world.
And it was made even more tragic that had you bumped into Raducanu on Sunday, as I did, you would never have known that she was about to pull out of the biggest tournament of her season.
Apart from the strapping on her shin, the 23-year-old had cut a jovial figure crossing the Aorangi Park practice facility at Wimbledon on Sunday morning, stopping to shake hands and chat with former coach Francis Roig. She cheerily greeted me and other reporters who had gathered to check on her progress, and then laughed her way through a spirited session with coach Andrew Richardson and hitting partner Alexis Canter.
If Raducanu was anxious at training on Sunday, she did not show it (Photo: Getty)
