Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu have both pulled out of Wimbledon, stripping the opening days of the 2026 Championships of two of Britain’s biggest home storylines before either player hit a ball.
Raducanu withdrew late Sunday night, less than 12 hours before she was due to face Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic on No. 1 Court. Draper followed Monday, pulling out of his scheduled first-round match against No. 6 seed Taylor Fritz after suffering a recurrence of the arm injury that has disrupted his season.
The double withdrawal is a heavy blow for British tennis at the All England Club. Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion and No. 30 seed, had arrived at Wimbledon with renewed momentum after reaching the final at Queen’s Club. Draper, meanwhile, had been set for one of the most anticipated men’s first-round matches of the tournament against Fritz, a grass-court contender and one of the top American names in the draw.
Why Emma Raducanu Withdrew From Wimbledon
Raducanu said the lower-leg problem she had been managing had developed into a stress fracture after a final scan on Sunday night. “I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line,” Raducanu said in her withdrawal statement, adding that she had been medically advised to stop pushing through the injury.
The timing makes the setback especially painful. Raducanu had been due to open her Wimbledon campaign Monday against Ruzic, with the home crowd expecting to see whether her Queen’s Club run could translate into a meaningful Grand Slam push.
Her fitness had already been under scrutiny in the final days before the tournament. She had been seen wearing a protective boot, returned to court for a fitness test, and cut short a practice session with Anna Kalinskaya. Earlier Sunday, she still told reporters she intended to play.
Instead, Wimbledon begins without Britain’s leading women’s player.
Why Jack Draper Pulled Out
Draper’s withdrawal came one day later and removed one of the highest-profile first-round matches from the men’s draw. The 24-year-old had been scheduled to face Fritz on Tuesday in a matchup that carried both rankings and narrative weight. Draper was returning from a stop-start season, working with Andy Murray during the grass swing, and trying to rebuild momentum after arm and knee problems limited his time on court.
His latest issue is a recurrence of the arm injury that kept him off tour for long stretches over the past year. “Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury,” Draper said. For a British player, there is no bigger stage than Wimbledon. Draper acknowledged that directly, calling the withdrawal one of the hardest moments of a difficult year.
Why It Matters For Wimbledon
The losses change the feel of the first week for the home crowd. Raducanu and Draper were not title favorites, but both had the type of profiles Wimbledon needs in the opening rounds: British stars, major-name opponents, injury comeback angles and enough uncertainty to draw casual viewers into the tournament.
Raducanu’s withdrawal ends what had looked like one of the more interesting women’s first-round storylines. Her Queen’s Club final suggested she was again capable of building grass-court momentum, but the stress fracture raises immediate questions about her summer schedule and whether she can get healthy in time for the North American hard-court swing.
Draper’s exit is just as significant on the men’s side. His match against Fritz had been one of the standout first-round pairings after the draw. Fritz now avoids a dangerous opening opponent, while Draper’s latest setback extends a frustrating run for a player who had already spent much of the season managing physical problems.
British Hopes Take An Early Hit
Wimbledon always leans heavily on its British stories, and losing Raducanu and Draper before their first matches is a sharp early blow. The tournament still has British players in the draw, but the two withdrawals remove the country’s most marketable men’s and women’s singles names from the immediate spotlight. Raducanu brings Grand Slam pedigree and mainstream recognition. Draper brings top-end talent, left-handed power and the added intrigue of Murray’s involvement in his grass-court preparation.
Their exits also add to a wider injury theme around the 2026 Championships. Wimbledon arrived with several major names already managing physical problems or missing from the field, and the Draper-Raducanu double withdrawal gives the issue a clear British focus on Day 1.
What Comes Next
For Raducanu, the immediate priority is recovery from the stress fracture. Her statement made clear that medical advice, not competitive desire, decided the issue. The question now is whether she can return in time to build properly toward the US Open, where she remains tied to the biggest moment of her career.
For Draper, the concern is continuity. His arm injury has already interrupted multiple stages of his rise, and a recurrence at Wimbledon is the kind of setback that affects more than one tournament. He now faces another reset at a point in the calendar when he had hoped to use the grass season as a fresh start.
Wimbledon, meanwhile, moves on without two of its leading British attractions. The tennis will continue, but for the home crowd, the first major story of the Championships is not a win or a loss. It is two withdrawals before the campaigns even began.
