“It pains me”: Tennis star shares sad news
Emma Raducanu has revealed that she will have to miss the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, as she undergoes three “minor” surgeries on both of her hands and left ankle.
The twenty-year-old posted the update to Instagram on Wednesday, revealing that she has kept the severity of her injuries private for some time.
Raducanu shared a snap from her hospital bed with a cast on her right hand, after undergoing the first of her three planned procedures.
“It is safe to say the last 10 months have been difficult as I dealt with a recurring injury on a bone of both hands,” she wrote in the handwritten statement.
“I tried my best to manage the pain and play through it most of this year and end of last year by reducing practice load dramatically, missing weeks of training as well as cutting last season short to try heal it, unfortunately it’s not enough.”
“I’m disappointed to share that I will be out for the next few months and while I am at it will have another minor procedure that is due on my ankle.
“It pains me that I will miss the summer events and I tried to downplay the issues so I thank all my fans who continued to support me when you did not know the facts.”
“Looking forward to seeing you all back out there,” she ended the note with a hand drawn heart.
The 2021 US Open champion has been struggling with a string of injuries as she tried to adjust to the demands of being a professional tennis player.
Her most recent hand injury forced her to withdraw from the Billie Jean King Cup finals at the end of the last year. At the beginning of this year, she rolled her ankle mid-match in a tournament in Auckland.
Raducanu is set to have the operation on her left hand this month after getting surgery for her left ankle in the coming weeks.
She hopes to train on the tennis court again by the end of the summer, but her team has refused to predict an exact return date.
Many fans and fellow tennis players have commented their support and well wishes for the star.
“Rest up, Emma, and come back stronger 💜💚,” commented the official Wimbledon Instagram account.
“Speedy recovery ❤️,” wrote Ukrainian tennis player, Marta Kostyuk.
“Surgery is never nice, always a little scary, well done,” commented one person.
“Get well soon Emma and you have many fans around the world supporting you and having your back,” wrote another.
“Get well soon Emma!, we will be waiting for you when the moment is right, wishing you the best,” commented a third.
Image: Instagram