Emma Raducanu has not played a tennis match since the grass court season in June.
Raducanu won the US Open in 2021 as a qualifier, but since then has been through many injury struggles.
This has been a continual theme into 2026, with Raducanu being out of action since the grass court season due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg, which forced her to withdraw from both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Raducanu now appears to have ended her season early, having only played 10 tournaments all year.
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Emma Raducanu has reached two WTA finals this year
Even before Raducanu suffered her latest injury, she had already had a disrupted 2026 season after dealing with a viral illness, as well as a foot issue before the Australian Open.
Raducanu began her season at the United Cup, where she lost her only match to Maria Sakkari. It was a relatively disappointing start to the season for Raducanu, who also lost in the second round of the Australian Open.
However, the Briton bounced straight back at her next tournament after the Australian Open, as Raducanu made it all the way to the final of the Transylvania Open in Romania, before losing to Sorana Cirstea. This was the first time Raducanu had reached a final since winning the US Open in 2021.
It was during this run that Raducanu contracted a viral illness, which contributed to early exits at her next three tournaments and then forced her to miss the Miami Open and most of the clay court season.
After losing in the first round of four of her last five tournaments, Raducanu was hoping for an upturn in form during the grass court season, which she began at the Queen’s Club Championships. Raducanu did just that, as she beat the likes of Cirstea and Iva Jovic to reach the Queen’s final, which was her biggest final since winning the US Open, before losing to Donna Vekic.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Raducanu’s Wimbledon prospects after this run, but what was unknown at this point is that she would not play another match all year after suffering a stress fracture in her lower right leg.
| Tournaments Emma Raducanu has played in 2026 | Result |
| United Cup | 0-1 (Lost her only match against Maria Sakkari) |
| Hobart International | Quarter-final |
| Australian Open | Second Round |
| Transylvania Open | Final |
| Qatar Open | First Round |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | First Round |
| Indian Wells | Third Round |
| Strasbourg Open | First Round |
| Roland Garros | First Round |
| Queen’s Club Championships | Final |
Will Emma Raducanu play the Australian Open next year?
As a result of Raducanu’s absence from the WTA Tour this year, she has dropped all the way down to world number 109 in the world rankings.
This ranking drop means that Raducanu would not be ranked high enough to gain direct entry into the Australian Open next year and would need to play qualifying instead.
However, Raducanu does have a lifeline to prevent her from having to play qualifying at a major for the first time since the 2021 US Open, as she will be entitled to a protected ranking when she has been on the sidelines for six months.
After her run to the Queen’s final, Raducanu was the world 31, which is the protected ranking she will be able to use to enter tournaments including the Australian Open next year.
Raducanu appears to be feeling fit again, as she has released some footage of herself practicing on court again on social media.
