Is Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon in jeopardy after being spotted in a walking boot?

Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon run might be in jeopardy after she was spotted wearing a protective walking boot at the All England Club.

On Wednesday evening, the British tennis star was seen leaving the Aorangi Park practice area with a grey immobilization boot on her right leg. Sources at the tournament noted that the 2021 US Open champ skipped her practice session that day, though she is still on the schedule to train on Court 10 at midday on Thursday.

Despite the alarming sight of the boot, her team is downplaying the situation. Her representative, Thomas Houchin, insisted that “Emma is absolutely fine” and confirmed she will be playing, though he refused to give any details about a specific injury or why she needs the boot in the first place.

The timing is definitely tough. Raducanu just had her best-ever grass-court showing two weeks ago, making it all the way to the Queen’s WTA 500 final before falling to Donna Vekić. Heading into Wimbledon, she has a bit of pressure on her, as she needs to defend the points from her third-round appearance last year, where she was knocked out by Aryna Sabalenka.