Emma Raducanu may find it advantageous to bring her 2024 campaign to an early close, allowing her to focus on rehabilitation and to lock in a protected ranking before returning to competition in 2027, according to former British No. 1 Annabel Croft. The 23‑year‑old British star suffered a stress fracture in the lower part of her right leg during the grass‑court swing and ultimately made a late decision to withdraw from Wimbledon. After further consultations with her medical team, Raducanu confirmed on Monday that she will also be unable to compete at the US Open later this month, a development reported live on Sky Sports.
In professional tennis, a protected ranking system exists to help players who have been sidelined by injury for an extended period re‑enter the tour without having to start from the bottom. The ATP and WTA each have slightly different rules. On the men’s side, a player who qualifies 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 position the player held at the time the injury occurred. A WTA player may apply that ranking for up to eight tournaments in a single season, or up to twelve if the lay‑off exceeds twelve months. Raducanu has only just taken tentative steps back onto the court, now sporting a protective boot, and this latest setback adds another chapter to a frustrating twelve‑month period riddled with recurring physical problems.
Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, Croft – a former player turned commentator – lamented that "she's been unbelievably unlucky with injury problems." She added, "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 British teenager’s troubles began with a foot injury that severely limited her preseason preparation, followed by a two‑and‑a‑half‑month hiatus due to a post‑viral illness that struck in early February. After a prolonged period away from competition, Raducanu finally returned toward the end of the clay season, re‑uniting with Andrew Richardson – the coach who guided her to the US Open triumph – although their time together on court has been limited.
In June, Raducanu produced one of the best weeks of her career, reaching the final at Queen's Club – her deepest run since the New York title – but the effort appears to have triggered the most recent injury. She was not selected for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad for the late‑September finals, a further indication of her ongoing fitness concerns. 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." The former world No. 24 suggested that Raducanu may soon face a decision about whether to formally close out her season, noting that doing so could allow her to fully recover, undergo comprehensive treatment, and return at full strength for the following year. If Raducanu is sidelined for at least six months due to injury, she would be eligible to invoke a special protected ranking for a limited number of events upon her comeback. This ranking would reflect her position during the grass‑court period – the last time she competed and earned prize money – effectively preserving a top‑50 status despite any subsequent drop in points.
The timing of this decision is crucial because Raducanu currently sits at world No. 49 and faces a substantial points defence from last year’s North American hard‑court swing, which included deep runs in Washington, Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open. Missing those events could cause a steep decline in her ranking, yet the protected ranking mechanism could mitigate the impact. Croft summed up the dilemma: "It wouldn't be a surprise if she made that decision [to close down her season].
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. Maybe if 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." Croft also highlighted the nature of Raducanu’s injury, noting its unusual characteristics compared with more common calf strains.
She praised Raducanu’s athleticism, saying, "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. Movement will be part of a major strength of what she brings out onto the court. That needs to be absolutely 100 per cent." In summary, the British star faces a crossroads: push through the pain and risk long‑term damage, or pause her season, secure a protected ranking, and return fully healed. As the tennis world watches, the priority remains clear – Raducanu’s health must come first, and a strategic season‑ending could provide the foundation for a stronger, more sustainable comeback in the years ahead.