Emma Raducanu withdraws from another event despite | Sports News

Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the Italian Open mere moments after holding a press convention through which she expressed enthusiasm for the celebrated WTA 1000 match.

The British participant, who famously gained the US Open in 2021, hasn’t competed since early March at Indian Wells, making Rome the fourth straight event she’s been compelled to skip. Raducanu is but to take the court docket on clay this season and can have just one remaining probability to take action forward of the French Open, which commences later this month.

While she did take part in Strasbourg previous to Roland-Garros final 12 months, this represents another setback in what has been a disappointing 2026 marketing campaign for Raducanu. Her comeback was anticipated to happen in Rome, the place she’d secured a bye into the second spherical.

However, shortly after taking part in a press convention, affirmation emerged that Raducanu had withdrawn from the competitors, citing sickness as the explanation.

It’s a double setback for Raducanu, as she was defending 120 rating factors after her fourth-round look on the Italian Open final 12 months. Raducanu has slipped to thirtieth on this planet rankings and faces a real risk of dropping outdoors the seeding positions (high 32) for the French Open.

This follows former skilled Greg Rusedski urging Raducanu to return to competitors as quickly as attainable. He’d acknowledged: “If your preparation on the clay is really good, even if you’re not a natural clay quarter, your results really end up going well on the grass court season.

“I at all times felt that myself. I wasn’t the best clay court docket participant on the planet, however I used that period to get myself stronger, transfer higher, , get all these features in. So after I got here to the grass, it was simply really easy.

“So Emma needs to get back on court. You can’t just say, okay, let’s give up clay and let’s just get onto the grass courts. I think you’ve got to get the balance. The first thing is get healthy. Get rid of this virus, get to your nutritionist, get your diet right, get your vitamin intake, what you need to get rid of this virus. Because it’s such a shame she hasn’t been able to play it.”

The complete WTA high 20 is set to take part in Rome, the place Jasmine Paolini will attempt to retain the crown she claimed final 12 months. In the lads’s competitors, Carlos Alcaraz can be absent from the match, whereas Jannik Sinner seeks to seize his maiden Italian Open championship.