Emma Raducanu has not hit a competitive ball since June. The ranking consequences have arrived exactly as expected.
## The Injury
A stress fracture in her right lower leg, sustained during the grass-court season, forced Raducanu out of Wimbledon and then the US Open. Her last match was the Queen’s Club final in June, where she lost to Donna Vekic.
Missing New York was particularly pointed. This year marked five years since her 2021 US Open title, the tournament that made her a household name.
## The Ranking Fall
Raducanu dropped 19 places to world No. 89 in the rankings published after the US Open, having lost the 130 points from her third-round run in 2025. It is her lowest position since returning from wrist and ankle surgeries in 2024.
The slide has continued since, leaving her in danger of falling outside the top 100 entirely.
That matters practically, not just symbolically. A ranking outside the top 100 restricts direct entry into some WTA 1000 events and could force qualifying rounds.
## The Season Was Not All Bad
Before the injury, 2026 was arguably her most productive year since 2021:
– Reached three tour-level finals, her most in a season
– Made the Transylvania Open final in February, losing to Sorana Cirstea
– Reached the Queen’s Club final in June, climbing back to world No. 31
– Held the British No. 1 ranking for much of the year
Reaching the Transylvania final ended a wait for a tour-level final stretching back to her US Open title.
## What Comes Next
Raducanu is entered for the China Open, which begins September 30. She reached the third round there last year, taking a set off Jessica Pegula.
For the players who dominated the tournament she missed, see Rybakina’s US Open title and our post-US Open rankings roundup. Another player rebuilding a ranking is covered in Iga Swiatek’s 2026 form.
## The Reality
The tennis has been there this year. Staying on court remains the problem.