Emma Raducanu Pulls Out of Madrid Open Due to Ongoing Recovery

Emma Raducanu has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Madrid Open, as she continues her journey to regain full fitness. Following her withdrawals from the Miami and Linz WTA Tour events, Raducanu is prioritizing her recovery from post-viral symptoms that stemmed from an illness she contracted in Romania during early February. The British No 1, who also opted out of Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Australia, has resumed training and is hopeful of participating in the Rome tournament at the beginning of May. Raducanu's last match was in the third round at Indian Wells on March 8, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova. In a post-match interview, Raducanu acknowledged that a lack of power had hindered her performance, stating, "I need to be more aggressive when competing against top players, but I still have a long way to go and need to utilize my strengths more effectively." Since parting ways with her coach Francisco Roig in January, Raducanu has been informally working with Mark Petchey as she strives to regain her form. Raducanu's next opportunity to compete on clay will be at the Italian Open, which commences in Rome on May 5, followed by tournaments in Strasbourg and Rabat leading up to the French Open. Her withdrawal from the Madrid Open follows those of other high-profile players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Sonay Kartal, and Barbora Krejcikova.