Emma Raducanu quietly withdraws from latest tournament as 2026 season cast into doubt

The route back to tennis seems blocked for Emma Raducanu for the time being. A potential comeback in Asia has taken a swift hammer blow following her withdrawal from the China Open, the first of consecutive WTA 1000 tournaments.

It seems no surprise that this was the case with the former US Open champion having not competed properly on court since that Queen's Club Championships final run where her long wait for a second WTA title continued against Donna Vekic.

She would pull out of all the other remaining grass events on home soil, including Wimbledon, before the North American hardcourt swing was also put to one side. The extent of the injury would really be seen through these withdrawals.

Raducanu had been seen with a protective boot on her right foot, which in turn caused speculation before these tournaments. Opting not to rush back, the 23-year-old is biding her time before stepping back into competitive action. However, as that date gets pushed back further, the harder the task will be.

Raducanu's 2026 season has truly been a wretched one. She showed signs of life and rejuvenation under Francisco Roig, although the results were not always translating to that. The pair split at the end of the Australian Open, leaving Raducanu with her latest coaching dilemma.

She did not need one when in Romania, as she reached a first WTA final since the US Open triumph. She was convincingly battered against Sorana Cirstea before back-to-back opening match exits in Qatar and Dubai were put down to illness.

She would improve to a third round run at Indian Wells before taking a long hiatus away from the sport. She continued to try and recover and get back to herself, but that was easier said than done. After doing her media duties in Rome, she withdrew from the tournament ahead of finally making a comeback in Strasbourg and Roland Garros.

Her Queen's run gave British fans a false sense of optimism, with that slowly sinking in with her second long absence from the court in 2026 thanks to a stress fracture. She had been back training in a really positive sign with images of her hitting at the National Tennis Centre gaining traction.

At the end of the day, it is still too soon for her to be competing regularly on the WTA Tour, as she looked ahead towards the whole of the Asian swing. Being part Chinese through her mother's side, this is a real hammer blow for her to miss the China Open in Beijing. There are still a number of tournaments that she could still compete in on the Asian swing, but there is also the argument to follow in the footsteps of Jack Draper and call it a day.

Her form had started to dip at the end of the 2025 campaign, competing in four tournaments but picking up two wins. She ended her season slightly early after two dreadful defeats in Wuhan and Ningbo, so there are not many points she has to defend.

That comes as a relief for the Brit who is sinking down the WTA rankings at a rapid pace. She could be soon out of the top 100 thanks to another drop next week. Now 89th in the world, she had clambered back into the top 32 again at Queen's, but her elongated period not competing has proved to cause havoc, and there will be nothing to gain from the China Open as fans continue to wait for her highly anticipated return.