By Michael Davey
Former British number one Annabel Croft believes Emma Raducanu should end her season now with the aim of returning fully fit in 2027.
Raducanu suffered a stress fracture in her right leg during the WTA Tour’s grass-court swing, leading to withdrawals from both Wimbledon and the upcoming US Open.
The injury capped off a frustrating 12 months for the 23-year-old, who triumphed at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier in 2021, although a reunion with coach Andrew Richardson and a good run in the Queen’s Club Championships in June were encouraging signs.
If she remains sidelined for at least six months, Raducanu would also become eligible for a protected ranking – something that Croft thinks could be useful.
‘Unbelievably unlucky’
Speaking on Sky Sports, Croft said in regard to Raducanu’s latest setback: “She’s been unbelievably unlucky with injury problems.
“There are so many injuries out there, but it seems like she never gets a clear run where she’s able to really go for it with her tennis and just keep the momentum going.
“I’ve seen lots of pictures of her posting with the boot on her leg and just trying to serve, to keep her racket going – and showing everybody that she’s doing everything she can.
“But clearly, it’s not healed up.”
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Great athlete
Croft, who retired at the age of 21 after falling out of love with tennis, added: “It’s an unusual injury.
“I’ve had calf muscle injuries, which were not nice at all – and the minute you push off, you tweak it and it feels tight.
“But the one thing that I’ve always thought about Raducanu, particularly when we saw her at Queen’s Club on the grass where she played such beautiful tennis, is that she’s very light on her feet.
“Movement has always been one of her strengths. She’s such a great athlete.
“She moves around the ball. She’s light on her feet and gets into great positions where she never looks off balance.
“But movement will be part of a major strength of what she brings out onto the court. That needs to be absolutely 100 per cent.”
Protected ranking
On the possibility of Raducanu curtailing her season entirely, Croft stated: “It wouldn’t be a surprise if she made that decision.
“That wouldn’t be such a bad decision to take because you can fully heal, rest up, get as much treatment as possible and then come out fully fit, raring to go at the start of next year.
“Maybe if there’s a worry about the ranking drop with so many points to defend – and potentially that ranking could plummet, although she might benefit from the protected ranking.
“All of these factors have to be considered, don’t they?
“But at the end of the day, your health is your wealth, as they say, and that is the most important factor and she just needs to get herself fit.”
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