Emma Raducanu pulls out of second tournament in a row as comeback delayed | Tennis | Sport

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the upcoming WTA 500 event in Linz, which begins next week. The British No. 1 also skipped the recent Miami Open as she continued to recover from the after-effects of a viral illness she picked up in February, which affected her during the Middle East swing. Express Sport understands that Raducanu now wants to ensure she has made a full recovery before returning to competition and switching to the clay.

Although she still hadn’t recovered from the viral symptoms, the Brit entered Indian Wells, where she won one match before suffering a bruising, 52-minute defeat to Amanda Anisimova. She subsequently pulled out of the Miami Open.

Raducanu has entered the Madrid Open, a combined ATP-WTA 1000 event on outdoor clay courts, which begins on April 21. She will likely receive a bye directly into the second round and would not play her first match there until Thursday or Friday, should she compete.

As a result, Katie Boulter and Francesca Jones have also opted not to represent Team GB. Instead, the squad will be led by Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage, and Mika Stojsavljevic. A fifth woman can be named closer to time.

It’s been a difficult few months for Raducanu, whose off-season was wrecked by a foot injury. The 23-year-old planned a month-long training block in Barcelona with then-coach Francisco Roig, but was left unable to play tennis due to light bone bruising on her right foot.

Since then, Raducanu has been travelling with 27-year-old hitting partner Alexis Canter and physiotherapist Emma Stewart, who also works on her strength and conditioning. In Indian Wells recently, the world No. 28 also sought the advice of former coach Mark Petchey, who was on-site for his work as a Tennis Channel broadcaster.