British hopeful Emma Raducanu the latest star to withdraw from Wimbledon

Raducanu's announcement was widely expected after a week that saw her skip practice sessions as she nursed an injury she picked up in her run to the final at the Queen's Club tournament earlier this month.

She had a final practice session on Sunday at Wimbledon and then completed her media duties, when she suggested she was hoping to play in her home Grand Slam.

Yet it was no surprise when she posted a message on Instagram on Sunday night confirming she would not be playing her first round match on Monday.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but sadly I've had to withdraw from this year's Wimbledon," wrote Raducanu.

"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.

"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."

The lengthy withdrawal list includes Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste from the women's draw, while the men's draw is without Carlos Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune - to name but a few. 

Raducanu was due to take on Croatia's Antonia Ruzic on No.1 Court at Wimbledon on Monday and she had earlier suggested a decision on whether she would play was yet to be made.

"I'm going to do everything with my team in terms of treatment," said Raducanu at her pre-tournament conference.

"That's the plan right now, to play. I have a lower leg niggle that I've been dealing with since before Queen's, actually, from the back end of the clay-court season.

"Queen's, during that week, was a lot of load for me. Five matches after having not competed for a while. But I'm just managing it with my team as best as I possibly can, exhausting all options and doing what we can."

This is the latest blow to a player who has struggled to build momentum in her career since her iconic 2021 US Open victory.

A succession of injuries have hampered her progress over the last five years and there were widespread rumours that Raducanu was struggling with her motivation to continue in the sport earlier this year.

The 'ongoing effects of a virus' were cited as the reason why she pulled out of several events, as she failed to hit a ball in anger for two months.

Yet her impressive run to the final of the WTA 500 final at the Queen's Club suggested she was getting her 2026 season back on track.

Now she will miss the biggest tournament of her year with yet another injury and it will have a negative impact on her ranking.

Raducanu reached the third round at Wimbledon last year and she will not have a chance to defend those ranking points after her withdrawal.

She is currently sitting at No 33 in the live WTA Rankings and there is every chance she will slide further down as players overtake her with the points they collect at Wimbledon.