John McEnroe has delivered his verdict on British No. 1 Emma Raducanu after the world No. 33 was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon ahead of her opening match due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion expressed his support and hope for her recovery during his BBC Radio 5 Live show alongside Tim Henman and Marion Bartoli.
Raducanu's Injury Woes Continue
Raducanu pulled out on the eve of her home Grand Slam, just weeks after her impressive run to the final at Queen's Club, where she fell in three sets to Croatia's Donna Vekic. She subsequently withdrew from the WTA 250 tournament in Nottingham the following week. Injury concerns escalated when she was spotted with strapping on her lower right leg during Wimbledon preparations, cutting short a practice session. Although she told journalists at her pre-tournament press conference that she intended to compete, news of her withdrawal emerged on the Sunday evening before Wimbledon began. Raducanu, seeded 30th, had been scheduled to open her campaign against Croatia's Antonia Ruzic on Court One.
McEnroe's Comments on Raducanu and Others
McEnroe offered his thoughts on Raducanu and several other British players. 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. 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 with Arthur Fery
When quizzed on whether a Fery Wimbledon triumph would eclipse Raducanu's remarkable 2021 US Open win as a qualifier, McEnroe responded: "Similar, they're pretty close." Henman, who was courtside in New York when Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez five years ago to become the first qualifier in Open Era history to claim a major title, 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!"
