Scan gives Emma Raducanu hope she will be fit for Wimbledon

Emma Raducanu is expected to be healthy in time to compete at Wimbledon after receiving encouraging results from the scan she underwent after her retirement from the Rothesay Open in Nottingham on Tuesday.

Raducanu announced her withdrawal on Wednesday from the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, a WTA 250 event she was scheduled to compete in next week. It is believed she will recover in time to request a wildcard into the Rothesay International at Eastbourne the following week.

“It was disappointing to go out this week with a side injury and unfortunately will no longer be able to play in Birmingham. I’m looking forward to be back on the match court soon though to enjoy the rest of the grass season,” said Raducanu.

Raducanu sustained what she described as a “freak” injury, an acute side strain, in the first round of the Rothesay Open in the opening game. She retired in the first set while trailing Viktorija Golubic 3-4 in her first official match on home soil since her US Open triumph. Raducanu had a scan on Tuesday night and is said to have received some reassuring news from its results.

Raducanu will spend the next few days resting from physical activity before building up again for the remainder of the grass season. The Eastbourne main draw begins on 19 June, the last tournament week before Wimbledon begins, and it will be the target for her return. A WTA 500 event, Eastbourne boasts an extremely strong field with eight of the top 10 women entered.

This is the latest in a long list of injuries for Raducanu since the end of last year, most recently a back injury that put her French Open in doubt. After her second-round loss in Paris, Raducanu was satisfied by how her body had held up, allowing her to take a wildcard into