Emma Raducanu will miss Wimbledon after undergoing surgery on both her hands and a procedure on her ankle also scheduled.
Raducanu won the US Open in 2021, becoming the first singles qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title in the process. She is currently ranked British Women's No 1, though has dropped to 85th place in the WTA's world rankings after a difficult few years since winning at Flushing Meadows.
But the 20-year-old's wait for a second Grand Slam title will go on after she confirmed she will miss the Wimbledon Championships, which begin on 3 July. She confirmed the news with a post on Instagram which showed her in a hospital bed with a heavily bandaged left arm.
"Hey, 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," Raducanu wrote in a statement, posted as a handwritten note alongside the photo of her in the bed.
"I tried my best to manage the pain and play through it for 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 having a minor procedure done on both hands to resolve the issues. 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."
Raducanu's agent has also confirmed to Mirror Sport that she is likely to miss the US Open too. That tournament begins on 28 August, with Raducanu now facing an extended period ruled out injured.
The British No 1 has endured a difficult start to 2023, withdrawing from January's Auckland Open in the second round with an ankle injury. She recovered in time to participate in the Australian Open.
But her run in the tournament was ended by Coco Gauff in the second round. Injury issues have plagued her since her exit from that competition.
She was defeated in the first round of the Miami Open and was unavailable to take part in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying round.
Raducanu then suffered a lopsided defeat to Jeļena Ostapenko in the first round of the Stuttgart Open, before withdrawing from the Madrid Open with wrist problems.
As she seeks a long-term solution to those issues, Raducanu will drop out of the WTA's top 100 ranked players for the first time since September 2021.
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