Emma Raducanu trapped in a lose-lose situation after skipping another | Tennis | Sport

Emma Raducanu’s 2026 season has been well and truly derailed by a viral illness that she picked up in February, and until she can recover, she finds herself in a lose-lose situation. The British No. 1 had a new lease of life at the Transylvania Open in Cluj a couple of months ago, reaching her first final since her 2021 US Open triumph.

But she suffered a one-sided defeat to Sorana Cirstea in the championship match and was clearly struggling. It later emerged that she contracted an illness, and things only got worse as she headed straight into the Middle East swing. Raducanu retired mid-match in Doha, then lost in the first round in Dubai. With hindsight, she later admitted she probably shouldn’t have pushed herself to compete.

And that balance – deciding whether to play through illness to continue momentum and earn all-important ranking points, or to take a break and recover – puts Raducanu between a rock and a hard place. She headed to the Californian desert in early March and briefly reunited with Mark Petchey, but lost her second match there in quick time to Amanda Anisimova.

At that point, it became clear that the 23-year-old needed to recover. She still felt the aftereffects of those viral symptoms in Indian Wells and made the tough decision to withdraw from the Miami Open. Raducanu’s ranking took a hit – she had reached the quarters there last year.

But she prioritised recovery, and she has done that again, delaying her start to the clay swing by pulling out of the upcoming WTA 500 event in Linz. Now, Raducanu won’t return to competition until she’s 100 per cent, especially as she’s changing surfaces. It’s a smart decision, but it’s still going to cost her, and she can’t seem to win.

If she plays through an illness and retires or loses, she will be criticised. If she pulls out of several tournaments in a row, she will be criticised. As is the Raducanu paradox – damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t. It’s been a running theme throughout her career, from coach decisions to brand deals to scheduling. It always will be, and it makes moments like this even more difficult.

On the outside, it may seem incomprehensible that Raducanu still hasn’t recovered from a viral illness after two months. But you must apply this to the relentless nature of being an athlete on the tennis tour. Players have to fly from city to city and country to country virtually every week. There are practice sessions, gym sessions, actual matches, and all the pre- and post-preparations that come with them.

Had Raducanu gone home immediately after the Cluj final, shut down, and spent a week in bed, things might have been different. It’s something she’s probably already identified. But again, it’s a lose-lose. If she did that, she would have feared losing momentum from that runner-up finish. Players are constantly competing through niggles, sniffles and the like, so she would have wanted to at least try to keep going before committing to taking a break.

Now, it seems she has no choice but to get herself back to full health before getting back on the tour. It will continue to come at a cost. Missed opportunities for ranking points, loss of match rhythm, criticism. When she finally returns, it could take a while to build up confidence and momentum. Opening-round exits won’t be a surprise, but they’ll still draw attention.

What started as a viral illness in February will likely affect her season for months to come. But she has no choice but to pick a side and deal with the consequences. By delaying her comeback, Raducanu could take a while to get going when she returns. Had she returned too soon, these symptoms could have hung around even longer, and she eventually would have had to take a break anyway.

We’ll see how things pan out when she does return. It could be Madrid, it could be later. Don’t expect things to be rosy straight away. At the very least, we know she was right not to hire a new full-time coach just yet. What would they even be doing right now?