Emma Raducanu faces Wimbledon fitness race after pulling out of crucial warm up

British number one Emma Raducanu will not play one of the most important Wimbledon warm up events, leaving her short on grass-court preparation in her bid for British glory at the only grass court Slam.

The Bromley born teen has been blighted by injuries throughout 2022 and will now miss out on Eastbourne as she tries to fight off yet another physical ailment

Blister problems at the Australian Open were followed by a withdrawal in Mexico with a hip injury.

March saw Raducanu beaten in the first round at Indian Wells as she suffered from a stiff back, while blisters returned in the Billie Jean King Cup.

Back issues arose once more at the Rome Masters however despite the injury scare Emma Raducanu was still able to compete at the French Open.

Most recently, the US Open champion managed just seven games against Viktorija Golubic at last week’s Nottingham Open before retiring with a side injury.

The 19-year-old, who was expected to take part at the tournament in Eastbourne, had until 16:00 BST on Friday to request a wild card but did not appear on the list.

As a result, Raducanu has played just 33 minutes of grass-court tennis in preparation for her home Grand Slam, where she will now face a race to be fully fit for the event.

She is yet to win more than two matches at a tournament since her US Open win and has had three mid-match retirements this year.

Raducanu reached the fourth round at Wimbledon as a wildcard last year and will be hoping to better that result in 2022.

This year’s tournament, where Raducanu will be among the top 10 seeds for the first time at a Grand Slam, begins on 27 June.

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