John McEnroe has expressed his support for Emma Raducanu after the British No. 1 was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon ahead of her opening match due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg.
What happened?
Raducanu, the world No. 33, pulled out on the eve of her home Grand Slam, just weeks after her impressive run to the final at Queen's Club, where she fell in three sets to Croatia's Donna Vekic. Injury worries then escalated when she was spotted with strapping on her lower right leg during Wimbledon preparations, before cutting short a practice session.
Why it matters for John McEnroe
McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, was discussing Arthur Fery's remarkable journey to the semi-finals at SW19 as a qualifier on his BBC Radio 5 Live show alongside Tim Henman and Marion Bartoli. He said: "Thank god for Arthur Fery in a way! Jack Draper, last year he came in as the fourth seed and I thought last year was the first year he could win a major. Been a total nightmare since. Emma's continuing to have these problems and can't stay healthy. We hope she gets healthy soon."
What comes next?
When quizzed on whether a Fery Wimbledon triumph would eclipse Raducanu's remarkable 2021 US Open win as a qualifier, McEnroe responded: "Similar, they're pretty close." Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Henman was courtside in New York when Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez five years ago to become the first qualifier in Open Era history to claim a major title. He said: "It's in the same league isn't it? Fery's had more professional tennis experience. Raducanu made fourth round of Wimbledon a couple months before but her coming from qualifying like that... There's a long way for Fery to go yet!"
Wimbledon 2026 is just around the corner, and Seat Unique has tickets on sale now with VIP access. McEnroe's comments come as Raducanu continues to battle with injury issues, and the tennis world waits to see if she can return to form in time for the next Grand Slam event.
McEnroe also expressed his disappointment at Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal from Wimbledon, saying: "Carlos, most of all, I was depressed when I heard the news he was out of France and then Wimbledon. It's been horrible. We hope he comes back healthy and better than ever. Didn't he just turn 23? 22 or 23, either way."
The comments from McEnroe offer a glimpse into the thoughts of a tennis legend on the current state of the sport, and his support for Raducanu as she navigates her injury issues.