Emma Raducanu has confirmed she will not compete at the 2026 US Open, the tournament where she famously claimed her only Grand Slam title five years ago. The 23-year-old is still recovering from a stress fracture to her right lower leg, an injury she sustained during this year's grass-court season that also forced her withdrawal from Wimbledon.
The decision followed her most recent round of consultations with her medical team. Raducanu had only just begun taking her first cautious steps back on court, still wearing a protective boot, making a return in time for the tournament's August 23 start date at Flushing Meadows simply impossible.
It marks another deeply frustrating chapter in what has been a physically punishing 12 months for the Brit. A foot injury disrupted her pre-season preparations, and then in early February she fell ill and spent roughly two and a half months away from the tour dealing with a post-viral illness. She eventually returned toward the end of the clay-court season after rehiring Andrew Richardson, the coach who was in her corner during her historic 2021 US Open run, though the two have had precious little time together on court.
There were genuine reasons for optimism heading into this summer. Raducanu produced one of her finest performances of recent years at Queen's Club in June, advancing to her biggest final since winning in New York. She had also won matches at Flushing Meadows last summer for the first time since lifting the trophy. But she has not played a competitive match since Queen's Club, and her participation in any tournament before the 2026 season concludes is now in serious doubt.
TennisDraw users who had Raducanu penciled into their US Open bracket picks will need to rethink their draws ahead of the August opener.
