After the injuries that Raducanu has sustained at such a young age, which would have been enough to retire plenty of players, it’s fair to say that the 2021 US Open champion has every right to prioritise her fitness this year.
Especially given how dangerous jumping from surface to surface can be, with the clay court season just finishing, thus kickstarting the grass-court season. So, to move back to clay just before returning to hard courts… It’s something that is worrying plenty of the professionals.
Throughout a torrid 2023, Raducanu underwent surgery on both wrists and her ankle.
So, despite a few spirited performances, it feels like this year is more about getting through it in one piece than challenging for titles and climbing the world rankings.
Her ceiling is huge, and having already won a Grand Slam title at her age, her pedigree remains high.
This will not be her last chance to play at an Olympics, so whilst she remains in this transformative, regenerative stage of her career, this is a wise choice, even if it has drawn some scrutiny.
