John McEnroe has extended his sympathies to Emma Raducanu after the British No. 1 was compelled to withdraw from Wimbledon ahead of her opening-round fixture. The world No. 33 pulled out on the eve of her home Grand Slam owing to a stress fracture in her lower right leg. The setback arrived just a few weeks following her remarkable progression to the final at Queen's, where she was defeated in three sets by Croatia's Donna Vekic.
Raducanu subsequently pulled out of the WTA 250 tournament in Nottingham the week after her strong showing on the grass courts of west London. Concerns over her fitness then intensified when she was observed with strapping on her lower right leg in the lead-up to Wimbledon before cutting short a training session. Worries were partially eased when she informed journalists at her pre-tournament press conference that she intended to compete. However, confirmation of her withdrawal then emerged on the Sunday evening before Wimbledon commenced.
McEnroe's Comments on Raducanu and Other British Players
Raducanu, who was seeded 30th, had been scheduled to begin her campaign on the opening Monday against Croatia's Antonia Ruzic on Court One. And McEnroe has now offered his views on Raducanu and several other British players on his BBC Radio 5 Live programme alongside Tim Henman and Marion Bartoli. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion was discussing Arthur Fery's extraordinary run to the semi-finals at SW19 as a qualifier. He said: "Thank god for Arthur Fery in a way! Jack Draper, last year he came in as the fourth seed and I thought last year was the first year he could win a major. Been a total nightmare since."
McEnroe continued: "Emma's continuing to have these problems and can't stay healthy. We hope she gets healthy soon. Carlos [Alcaraz], most of all, I was depressed when I heard the news he was out of France and then Wimbledon. It's been horrible. We hope he comes back healthy and better than ever. Didn't he just turn 23? 22 or 23, either way."
Comparison to Raducanu's US Open Triumph
When questioned whether Fery claiming the Wimbledon title would surpass Raducanu's remarkable 2021 US Open triumph as a qualifier, McEnroe responded: "Similar, they're pretty close." Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman was courtside in New York when Raducanu beat Leylah Fernandez five years ago to become the first qualifier in Open Era history to win a major. He said: "It's in the same league isn't it? Fery's had more professional tennis experience. Raducanu made fourth round of Wimbledon a couple months before but her coming from qualifying like that... There's a long way for Fery to go yet!"
Raducanu's withdrawal marks the latest in a series of injury setbacks that have hampered her career since her stunning US Open victory. The 23-year-old has struggled with various physical issues, including wrist and ankle problems, limiting her ability to build consistency on the tour. Her run to the Queen's final had raised hopes of a deep Wimbledon run, but the stress fracture dashed those expectations. McEnroe's comments reflect a broader concern within the tennis community about Raducanu's ability to stay healthy and fulfil her potential.
