Wimbledon LIVE: Latest news and order of play as Emma Raducanu makes last-minute injury decision as star players stage protest

Emma Raducanu has pulled out of Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament due to “a stress fracture” in her right leg.

Writing on Instagram, the 23-year-old said: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sadly I’ve had to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon.

“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 and I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through.

“Playing at Wimbledon, in front of a home crowd, means everything to me, so this is really difficult to process.

“I want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. Especially at a time like this, it is invaluable. I look forward to seeing you when I’m back.”

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“It’s been an incredibly long process. It’s taken a lot out of me mentally coming back and coming back and coming back.

“At the same time I feel like I’m in a position now where I can compete at a really high level and really compete with the best players. There was a period, even earlier this year, I was compromising a lot of things. I was using gut strings, changing different areas in my game, not practicing hardly at all.

“Now I’m in a position where I’ve got that load for my body and I’m able to go out there and compete.

Jannik Sinner said he “wanted to talk about tennis” as the defending Wimbledon champion cut his pre-tournament press conference short in the dispute over prize money.

“I think it’s getting better, even though we are not at the point where we are 100 per cent happy,” he said of the prize money.

“It’s not about the money – not only about the money. It’s the whole scenario we take into consideration with welfare and everything else.”

Sinner then refused to answer further questions on the topic, including why the players have turned down Wimbledon’s offer of setting up a player council to address welfare issues.

Overall prize money has more than doubled in the last 10 years but the players argue it has not kept pace with the increase in revenue.

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Novak Djokovic called Serena Williams an “inspiration” as the 23-time grand slam prepares to make what he called an “epic” comeback at the age of 44.

Djokovic revealed he had seen Williams in the gym more often this week than compared to her prime and is excited to see how she performs.

“What she’s doing is inspirational and it’s epic. That’s what I told her. I always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus’, as well.

“For her to come back after years of being absent from the tour, two children later, and to give so much effort to, not just for her own satisfaction or coming back on the tour, but also to give all of us a pleasure of seeing her back on the court – in singles as well as doubles – is remarkable.

“I told her that whatever happens, what she’s doing is truly inspirational for me personally, I’m sure for millions around the world.

“I see her in the gym more than I have, I think, seen her when she was at her prime. It tells me that she really wants this to work out the best way possible.”

Serena Williams hit out at the “grueling”, “unprofessional” and “unreasonable” rules around anti-doping testing as the 23-time grand slam champion prepares to make her comeback at Wimbledon after four years away from tennis.

Williams, 44, will play her first singles match since the 2022 US Open when she plays Australia’s Maya Joint on Centre Court on Tuesday after accepting a Wimbledon wildcard, having announced a spectacular comeback to the sport earlier this month.

Rumours of Williams’ return first surfaced last October when it was confirmed that the seven-time Wimbledon champion had re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency [ITIA]’s anti-doping testing pool.

Even though Williams only stepped back onto court at Queen’s in June, the American has been subject to random checks at her home and daily whereabouts notices since last August under the testing pool protocols.

“I thought not every day Wimbledon holds a wild card for someone. I can name probably like a handful of people. I happened to be one of those people. I thought I should really take this opportunity. Who knows if I’ll ever make it here again. This could be it.

“I was like, What’s wrong with me, Serena? What are you thinking? Are you nuts? Like you really should do this.

“People live to be an athlete. I have this great opportunity to showcase what I do, what I do best, I suppose. I think ultimately I was like that is pretty cool, so I should do it.

“I never thought I’d be back here. I never thought I would do this again.”

Emma Raducanu said she “plans to play” Wimbledon as the British No 1 weighs up whether to risk aggravating a leg injury that has thrown her preparations for the tournament into doubt.

“I’m going to do everything with my team in terms of treatment,” said Raducanu, who came through a practice session on Sunday. “That’s the plan right now, to play.”

Raducanu said she had been feeling “tentative” and “hesitant” when she cut her training 10 minutes short on Saturday but appeared in a more positive mood on Sunday and confirmed she “did feel better” on the court.

Emma Raducanu is yet to declare herself ready to play Wimbledon amid fitness concerns ahead of the Championships.

The British No 1 is scheduled to play Antonia Ruzic in the opening match on Court No 1 on Monday but has been managing an injury niggle and has been wearing strapping around her lower right leg.

Raducanu, the 30th seed at Wimbledon, was seen wearing a protective boot earlier this week, then cut short a training session with Anna Kalinskaya on Saturday after losing the opening four games.