“You’ve got to have the preparation for the body to be able to play" - Former British number one searches for answers amid Raducanu's physical problems

For the British tennis players and fans, it is a Wimbledon to forget. Already a number of home favourites have been dumped out, and for Emma Raducanu she never got the chance to feature following her withdrawal after a stress fracture in her lower leg. Greg Rusedski offered his perspective on this setback as he tries and figures out how to solve Raducanu's physical problems.

Ahead of all 10 British players losing on the opening day of Wimbledon, the British number one's withdrawal seemed to be a sign of things to come. Following her run to the final of Queen's Club Championships at the start of the grass swing, the former US Open champion withdrew from the tournaments in Nottingham and Eastbourne.

There were signs of caution and doubt following practice sessions cut short and even once being spotted with am orthopaedic boot on her right leg. Following her media duties being completed, she waited as long as possible before coming to the conclusion that it was not feesable to feature.

She released a statement in her social media confirming the news. "I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sadly I’ve had to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon," she wrote in a statement. " I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I’ve been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through.

"Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process," the former US Open champion added. "I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Especially at a time like this, it is invaluable. I look forward to seeing you when I’m back."

When speaking on the Off Court podcast, Rusedski laid out why she got this injury. “She wasn’t having the boot for the stress fracture until the Monday before Wimbledon started," he said. “That means she had seven to ten days after Queen’s Club to get ready. So this is what makes the whole situation difficult to understand.

“You’ve got to have the preparation for the body to be able to play. I think it’s consistent work day in, day out, and then getting the volume right and then measuring the volume from practice onto the match court. And you’ve got to use a scientific formula to make this happen."

He compared it to one of the greatest tennis players to have graced the court. “I look at Roger Federer. Even when he used to go on holiday, he would hit tennis balls. So he’d go to the Maldives at the end of the season, he’d have a week or two with his family, but he’d still be hitting every day just lightly to keep it in, to keep his shoulder rolling over. He’d still be doing gym work. That’s what you need to do.”

It is not just Raducanu who has been in the wars. Jack Draper is again missing from a Grand Slam tournament, the third one in a row, after his reoccurring arm injury picked up this time last year.

His career has stalled since reaching the heights of world number four back in 2025. He has been seldom seen on court with a number of teases when coming back to court, consistently being hampered by injury troubles.

Rusedski assessed his problems. “I know he’s tried to use some of the best people,” he commented. “So the question is how does he find a solution? It’s been too long. In the past, players used to take injections or quarter zone shots or something to try to be able to play, but it’s kind of finding that balance because I don’t know what it is. Changing the racket, changing the strings, finding some sort of way to play.

“When he’s fit, he can compete with the very best, as we saw last year, winning Indian Wells, finals in Madrid. But this doesn’t look good. He gets three matches in Eastbourne and then has to pull out before his first-round match against Taylor Fritz.

“Hopefully, he gets ready in time for the US Open and we don’t talk about the problems. For Jack, I just feel terribly sad because you know he’s one of those guys who’d easily be a top four player knocking on the door. I just wish him a speedy recovery. I just wanna see him be able to get a volume of work and it doesn’t look like it’s gonna be happening any day soon now, having had to pull out of Wimbledon already.”