Emma Raducanu might find it advantageous to bring her 2024 campaign to an early close, allowing her to focus on full recovery and to lock in a protected ranking before planning a comeback in 2027, according to former British No.1 Annabel Croft. The 23‑year‑old Briton suffered a stress fracture in her right lower leg during the grass‑court swing and ultimately made a belated decision to withdraw from Wimbledon.
After further consultations with her medical team, Raducanu announced on Monday that she will also miss the US Open later this month, a development reported live on Sky Sports. In professional tennis, a protected ranking is a special provision that helps players who have been sidelined by injury or illness to re‑enter tournaments without having to start from the bottom of the rankings.
The ATP and WTA each have distinct rules. On the men’s side, an eligible player can use a protected ranking calculated from the average of his ranking over the three months preceding the injury. For women, the protected ranking is frozen at the level it was when the injury first occurred, and it can be applied to up to eight events in a year (or twelve if the absence exceeds twelve months).
Raducanu has only just taken tentative steps back onto the court, now wearing a protective boot on her injured leg. This latest setback adds another chapter to a frustrating twelve‑month period that has been riddled with recurring physical problems.
Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, Croft – herself a former player turned analyst – said, "She’s been unbelievably unlucky with injury problems. There are so many injuries out there but it seems like she never gets a clear run where she’s able to really go for it with her tennis and her body and her mind and everything injury‑free and just keep the momentum going." The Briton’s troubles began with a foot injury that severely limited her pre‑season preparation, followed by a two‑and‑a‑half‑month hiatus after a post‑viral illness that struck in early February. After finally returning for the tail end of the clay season, she rehired Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to the US Open triumph, but their time together on court has been limited.
Raducanu’s most promising recent result came at Queen’s Club in June, where she reached a final – her best showing since her New York victory – only to suffer the stress fracture that now threatens her season. She was not selected for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad for the September finals, a decision that reflects both her injury concerns and the depth of the British team.
Croft observed, "I’ve seen lots of pictures of her posting with the boot on her leg and just trying to serve, to keep her racket going and showing everybody that she’s doing everything she can. But clearly, it’s not healed up." With Raducanu currently sitting at world No.49, there are immediate questions about whether she will be able to compete in 2026 without a protected ranking.
If she misses at least six months of competition due to injury, she may apply for a special ranking that would allow her entry into a limited number of events upon her return. This protected ranking would be based on her last pre‑injury position – roughly inside the top‑50 – which she held during the grass‑court season, the last time she earned prize money. The timing is critical because Raducanu has a substantial number of points to defend from last year’s North American hard‑court swing, which included strong showings in Washington, Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open.
A prolonged absence could see her ranking tumble dramatically, potentially jeopardising direct entry into major tournaments. Nonetheless, Croft believes that ending the season now could be a wise strategic move.
"It wouldn’t be a surprise if she made that decision [to close down her season]," she said. "That wouldn’t be such a bad decision to take because you can fully heal, rest up, get as much treatment as possible and then come out fully fit, raring to go at the start of next year." Croft also highlighted the delicate balance between protecting her health and preserving her ranking. "Maybe there’s a worry about the ranking drop with so many points to defend and potentially that ranking could plummet, although she might benefit from the protected ranking. All of these factors have to be considered, don’t they?
But at the end of the day, your health is your wealth, as they say, and that is the most important factor and she just needs to get herself fit." Discussing the nature of Raducanu’s injury, Croft noted its unusual characteristics. "I’ve had calf muscle injuries, which were not nice at all. The minute you push off, you tweak it and it feels tight, but the one thing that I’ve always thought about Raducanu, particularly when we saw her at Queen’s Club on the grass where she played such beautiful tennis, is that she’s very light on her feet.
Movement has always been one of her strengths. She’s such a great athlete.
She moves around the ball. She’s light on her feet and gets into great positions where she never looks off balance.
But movement will be part of a major strength of what she brings onto the court. That needs to be absolutely 100 per cent." In summary, the decision to end her season early could give Raducanu the breathing room she needs to heal completely, avoid further setbacks, and return with a protected ranking that safeguards her entry into future events. While the short‑term ranking impact may be painful, the long‑term benefits of a fully recovered body and mind could outweigh the immediate loss of points.
As the tennis community watches closely, the hope is that Raducanu will emerge stronger, healthier, and ready to reclaim her place among the sport’s elite when she steps back onto the court in 2027.