Emma Raducanu has taken the decision to withdraw from the upcoming Madrid Open, as she continues her journey to regain full fitness. In addition to skipping the Madrid Open, Raducanu has also withdrawn from recent WTA Tour events in Miami and Linz, prioritizing her recovery from post-viral symptoms that she contracted in Romania in early February.
The British No 1 is currently back in training and is hopeful of making a return to competition at the Italian Open in Rome, which is set to take place in early May. Raducanu's last competitive outing was at Indian Wells on March 8, where she suffered a 6-1 6-1 defeat at the hands of Amanda Anisimova. Following the match, Raducanu acknowledged that a lack of power had hindered her performance, stating, "To compete with these players, I need to be more aggressive, but I still have a lot of work to do in order to achieve that, and I need to utilize my strengths more effectively." Since parting ways with her coach Francisco Roig in January, Raducanu has been working informally with Mark Petchey as she strives to regain her form.
Raducanu's withdrawal from the Madrid Open is the latest in a series of high-profile withdrawals, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Sonay Kartal, and Barbora Krejcikova also pulling out of the tournament. The Italian Open, which begins on May 5, will be Raducanu's next opportunity to compete on clay, followed by tournaments in Strasbourg and Rabat in the lead-up to the French Open.