Emma Raducanu has been placed in a section of the Italian Open draw that could see her square off against American rising star Coco Gauff in the third round, marking her first competitive appearance since March and her inaugural outing on the red clay of the 2026 season. After a prolonged spell away from tournament action due to a lingering viral infection, the British No.
1 finally returns to the WTA Tour, having missed the recent Indian Wells event and withdrawn from the Mutua Madrid Open because of a right‑hand injury. Consequently, Rome will be her debut on the European clay swing.
The tournament bracket shows that Raducanu received a bye into the second round, where she will face either Argentina’s world No. 72 Solana Sierra or a qualifier who emerges from the opening round.
This first match will be a litmus test for her fitness and confidence after months of rehabilitation and limited match play. Should she prevail, the next hurdle is likely to be the 2023 French Open champion Coco Gauff, who is slated to be her opponent in round three.
Beyond that, the draw places the former US Open champion in the same half as the current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, meaning a potential quarter‑final clash with the Belarusian could be on the cards if both players navigate the earlier rounds successfully. Raducanu’s performance at the Rome event last year was her best ever at this venue; she advanced to the fourth round before being stopped by Gauff.
This year, she will be eager to improve on that result, especially as she looks to rebuild her ranking and re‑establish herself as a contender on the tour. In preparation for the Italian Open, Raducanu spent the previous week training at the Ferrer Tennis Academy near Alicante, Spain, under the guidance of former coach Andrew Richardson. Richardson was at her side when she famously captured the US Open title in 2021 as a qualifier, a triumph that still resonates in the sport’s history.
While Richardson has resumed his role as a mentor, Raducanu has also been working with hitting partner Alexis Canter following her split from longtime coach Francisco Roig. She briefly reunited with Mark Petchey during her Indian Wells campaign in March, but her primary focus in Rome is under the watchful eye of her childhood coach, Jane O'Donoghue, who has been instrumental in her technical and mental development. The broader British contingent at the tournament includes several promising players. Katie Boulter, the current British No.
3, continues her upward trajectory on clay after a quarter‑final appearance in Rouen and a win at the Madrid Open; she opens her campaign against Germany’s Eva Lys. On the men’s side, Cameron Norrie, now back at British No. 1 after a solid start to the year that featured a third‑round showing at the Australian Open and quarter‑final runs at Indian Wells and Barcelona, enjoys a first‑round bye. Other British men—Jacob Fearnley, Jan Choinski, Jack Pinnington‑Jones and Billy Harris—are battling through the qualifying rounds in hopes of securing a place in the main draw.
The men’s draw also promises high‑stakes drama. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic can only meet in the final, a scenario that would set up a classic showdown between the two top players. Sinner, who has not played a match since his loss to Jack Draper at Indian Wells in March, is aiming to become only the second man, after Djokovic, to complete the Career Golden Masters by winning the Rome Masters.
Djokovic, now 38, remains the only player to have captured all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles at least twice, underscoring his enduring dominance. The tournament schedule kicks off for the women on Tuesday, May 5, with the men following on Wednesday, May 6.
Matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Tennis and can also be streamed via the NOW platform and the Sky Sports app, offering subscribers an expanded live‑sport package. Day sessions start at 10 a.m., while evening sessions begin at 6 p.m., and the competition will run through the finals weekend on May 16‑17. For fans seeking additional coverage, Sky Sports provides real‑time scores, results, video highlights and in‑depth analysis.
The network also encourages viewers to use the Chrome browser for the best video playback experience. As Raducanu steps onto the clay courts of Rome, the tennis world will be watching closely to see whether she can translate her past Grand Slam glory into a successful comeback on a new surface, while the rest of the British squad looks to make their own marks on the prestigious Italian Open.