Wrist and ankle ops to sideline Raducanu for months

Emma Raducanu will be out of action until the autumn at the earliest after undergoing the first of three planned surgeries to fix the wrist and ankle problems which have derailed her tennis

The 2021 US Open winner who claimed the Grand Slam title in a total surprise posted a picture on Instagram from her hospital bed after a right wrist operation.

She is scheduled to undergo further procedures on an ankle followed by her left wrist in an attempt to fix the problems which have gutted her tennis ever since her shock breakthrough as a teenager onto the WTA main stage.

She posted:  “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.

“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 [to] heal it. Unfortunately it’s not enough.”

The medical procedures will rule her out of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon with the US Open a major question mark.

“It pains me that I will miss the summer events,” she wrote on social media.

“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.”

The London player currently ranks 85th but will have to ride a ranking drop due to her lack of matches in the coming months. She will then have 12 protected ranking tournaments over the next three years under WTA rules for injury comebacks.

Raducanu has lined up on court for only 10 matches this season and withdrew with little explanation before the start of the ongoing Madrid Masters.