Emma Raducanu on course for Wimbledon after making progress with injury

A side strain forced the US Open champion to retire from her first-round match in Nottingham after just seven games earlier this month

Emma Raducanu is making good progress in her recovery from injury and will take her place in the Wimbledon draw on Friday.

The 19-year-old managed only seven games of her first grass-court tournament of the season in Nottingham a fortnight ago before pulling out after suffering a side strain.

Raducanu was not ready to return for this week’s WTA tournament in Eastbourne but has been practising at the All England Club this week and it is understood she is on course to be fit for the Championships.

The British number one’s team are not taking anything for granted, though, and will monitor her carefully over the next couple of days before a final decision is made.

Raducanu, who made headlines with her debut run to the fourth round at Wimbledon last summer before going on to win the US Open, is the 10th seed in the women’s singles.

Meanwhile, in a break with tradition, Rafael Nadal, Matteo Berrettini and Novak Djokovic all practised on Centre Court on Thursday.

The two main show courts are normally off limits for players until the first match on the opening Monday but, after a number of incidents of players slipping in the early days, Wimbledon has decided to allow a limited amount of practice to bed the surface down.

Serena Williams and Adrian Mannarino were both forced to retire during their first-round matches last year after suffering injuries.