Emma Raducanu has taken the decision to withdraw from the Madrid Open, scheduled to take place next week, as she focuses on regaining full fitness. This move follows her earlier withdrawals from the WTA Tour events in Miami and Linz, underscoring her commitment to recovering from the illness she contracted in Romania in early February. Raducanu, who is also skipping Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Australia, has resumed training and is optimistic about participating in the Rome tournament at the beginning of May.
Her last competitive match was at Indian Wells on March 8, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova. Raducanu acknowledged that she lacked power during the match, emphasizing the need to adopt a more aggressive playing style and effectively utilize her strengths. After parting ways with her coach Francisco Roig in January, Raducanu has been informally working with Mark Petchey to regain her form. The Italian Open, starting on May 5 in Rome, will be her next opportunity to compete on clay, followed by tournaments in Strasbourg and Rabat leading up to the French Open.
Raducanu joins a list of high-profile withdrawals from the Madrid Open, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Sonay Kartal, and Barbora Krejcikova. Fans can catch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports or stream them using NOW and the Sky Sports app.