"It’s kind of a bit of an unknown at the moment": The curious case of Emma Raducanu as Laura Robson uncertain on return to action
WTAMonday, 20 April 2026 at 20:53
It has been a bit of a Brit crisis as of late with only really Katie Boulter who ironically spent most of the start of the season having to rebuild her ranking and also Cam Norrie who is Mr Reliable who are managing to stay fit and healthy.
Jack Draper continues to have problems with staying fit albeit Laura Robson sees positive signs when it comes to the Brit who won Indian Wells last season in that it is not the elbow issue that kept him out of most of last season.
Robson said that it is more of a precautionary measure and one that has seen him take just a few weeks off to manage it. He retired last week from his match in Barcelona and while he has shown positive signs, he has also spent most of the last few months off the court so it is concerning.
Concerning in that he hasn't managed to shake this constant injury cycle. The same can be said for Sonay Kartal who albeit is less injury prone but she suffered an injury at Indian Wells and she won't play again until at least Queen's on grass.
“The good news is it’s not the elbow issue that kept him [Draper] out for the majority of the 2025 season,” said Robson to Sky Sports.
“If you remember, he didn’t play after Wimbledon, tried to come back at the US Open, and then ended up taking the rest of the year off until just a few weeks ago at Indian Wells.
“And that was with a really tough elbow issue that was a bit of a stress-related injury. You know, you try and push through it and it just doesn’t go well.
“So he really took the time out to make sure that that was back to 100%. And unfortunately, this is now a knee issue, which so often happens when you’re coming back from one thing – you compensate.
Jack Draper is a doubt for the rest of the clay court season
“You feel like you haven’t been able to, you know, get the work in where it needs to happen in the gym and on the practice court.
“But the good thing is this is just a bit of a tendon issue. He’s looking to take a couple of weeks off now. He had to retire from his match in Barcelona last week, but is hopeful that he’ll be able to play Roland Garros, and if not, the week before.
“So that’s really what we’re going to be looking out for whether he plays one of those ATP 250 events, slightly smaller events, before Roland-Garros to try and get some match practice in.
“You don’t want to go into a best-of-five situation undercooked, feeling ill-prepared and, you know, without that sort of match intensity that only comes back with playing week in, week out.
“So he’s still hopeful that the clay season isn’t over for him.”
The curious case of Emma Raducanu
Albeit someone who is less of a surefire thing is Emma Raducanu who has been suffering with issues due to a viral illness she suffered en route to the Cluj final and for Robson, it is more of a puzzling unknown.
“Yeah, unfortunately, Emma Raducanu is still struggling with the effects of a viral illness that she picked up back in February,” Robson added.
“So then she tried to go and play on the American hard courts, wasn’t able to sustain that consistency, and is just deciding to take some more time off.
“But, you know, it’s kind of a bit of an unknown at the moment. She’s not been able to put the work in on the practice court, which means that absolutely it’s not the right decision to come to a big tournament like Madrid and try and risk it.
“And, you know, ultimately, I feel like only she knows the answer to that question. So when we see her, it’s very much unsure – very much up in the air at the moment – but hopefully soon, because she is such a big draw for these events, especially in the early rounds as she’s looking to get back to top form and top fitness.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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