Post by : Bianca
Haleem
The opening day of Wimbledon has brought two very different stories, with Emma Raducanu forced to withdraw through injury while men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner begins his campaign after changing his preparation to deal with increasingly hot playing conditions.
Raducanu Ruled Out Before First-Round Match
British No. 1 Emma Raducanu was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon on Sunday evening after a final medical scan confirmed a stress fracture in her lower right leg. The 23-year-old, seeded 30th, had been scheduled to play Croatia's Antonia Ruzic on Court One in the opening round.
Earlier in the day, Raducanu had said she intended to compete despite the discomfort. However, further medical tests showed that the injury had worsened, forcing her to pull out of the tournament before it began.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Raducanu said: "I've done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I've been managing has developed into a stress fracture."
She added: "I've been medically advised to stop pushing through."
Another Injury Setback for Raducanu
The withdrawal marks another difficult moment in Raducanu's career, which has been affected by injuries and illness since winning the 2021 US Open title.
Despite enjoying a positive grass-court season and reaching the final at Queen's Club with coach Andrew Richardson back in her team, the leg injury that had troubled her since the end of the clay-court season proved too serious. She had already skipped practice sessions during the previous week and ended Saturday's training early before medical scans confirmed the stress fracture.
Sinner Focuses on Fitness Ahead of Wimbledon Opener
While Raducanu's campaign ended before it started, men's top seed Jannik Sinner is preparing to begin his Wimbledon journey after making changes to his fitness programme.
The 24-year-old Italian is aiming to put behind him his second-round defeat at Roland Garros, where he lost after suffering severe cramps during extremely hot conditions despite leading by two sets against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
With Britain also experiencing unusually high temperatures in recent days, Sinner and his coaching team have adjusted his training to better prepare for playing in the heat.
Sinner Adapts Training for Rising Temperatures
Although temperatures are expected to be slightly lower for his opening-round match against Miomir Kecmanovic, Sinner believes hot conditions are becoming a regular part of professional tennis.
Speaking about his preparations, Sinner said: "All tests were really good, even though we are very sure we need to practise in hotter conditions."
He added: "I feel like everywhere where we're playing, it's going to be very hot. Every year it's getting warmer and warmer."
Sinner acknowledged that match conditions cannot be fully recreated in practice because of the pressure of competition but said his team has made long-term changes to improve his physical preparation.
Different Starts to Wimbledon
As Wimbledon gets underway, Emma Raducanu's hopes of competing in front of her home fans have ended because of injury, while Jannik Sinner begins his title challenge after adapting his training to cope with the demands of modern tennis and increasingly warm conditions.
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