Emma Raducanu has been linked with a broadcasting role for the BBC at Wimbledon this summer. The former US Open champion is set miss the Championships and the French Open this year after undergoing three operations to solve long-term fitness issues.
Raducanu has had surgery on both her wrists and her ankle, ruling her out of both summer Grand Slams. She faces a race to be fit for the US Open later this year, two years after she sensationally won the tournament as a qualifier.
The 20-year-old’s procedures are not set to keep her out of the studios, though, with an apparent broadcasting role potentially lined up. Reports suggest that Raducanu could work for the BBC during the tournament.
It is unclear what role the British sensation could adopt, or how frequently she will appear. However, fans will be keen for an update on her fitness and a wider audience could listen to her reflect on a whirlwind two years since she first rose to fame at the 2021 edition of the Championships.
The Daily Mail claims viewers may see Raducanu make a ‘cameo’ on the BBC at the All England Club in July. It comes after Roger Federer ruled himself out of commentary duties for this year, insisting he would not be taking part in the broadcast coverage of the tournament.
Federer is set to be officially honoured at Wimbledon this year having retired at the end of 2022. Responding to a fan on Twitter, the Swiss tennis icon tweeted: “No plans to commentate this year!”
Meanwhile, Raducanu seems set to miss most of the season after undergoing her procedures. Speaking exclusively to Express Sport earlier this month, mentor Tim Henman revealed that the surgery is mainly an attempt to ‘manage’ the pain the Bromley-based starlet was experiencing.
Henman said: “I’ve spoken to her a lot about it and I think the message that she was getting from the surgeons was that she won’t make it worse, she won’t do more damage but it was about trying to manage the pain.
“But then I think it was definitely restricting how much practice she could do so then she’s not able to really make the improvements on the court. So I think that really added to her frustration because she wasn’t able to do herself justice.”
However, former Wimbledon champion and ex-BBC pundit Boris Becker believes the operations are potentially ‘career-threatening’. Becker warned Raducanu that going under the knife could be ‘tough to bear’.
He told the Guardian: “The surgeries that she has had are, in my opinion, career-threatening. Having surgery on your playing wrist, and as a two-handed player, the other wrist – and then on your ankle – is tough to bear for a young woman.”
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