British tennis star Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from next week’s Linz Open in Austria as she continues to recover from a viral illness.
The 23-year-old, who is Britain’s number one and currently ranked world number 28, was expected to start her clay-court season in Linz. However, her team confirmed on Wednesday that she has decided to skip the WTA 500 event to focus on getting fully fit before returning to competition.
Raducanu first started feeling unwell during a hard-court swing in the Middle East back in February. She still managed to compete at Indian Wells last month, where she won one match, but then chose to sit out the Miami Open.
So far this season, she’s played five tournaments and holds a 7-7 win-loss record.Her best result came at the Transylvania Open, where she reached the final — her strongest run since her fairy-tale US Open victory in 2021.
This latest withdrawal adds to the familiar sense of uncertainty that has followed Raducanu since her breakthrough Grand Slam win as a teenager. Her career has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries and physical setbacks.The news comes just a day after fellow Brit Jack Draper also pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters while managing his own arm injury.Raducanu is now hoping to be ready for the Madrid Open, the first big WTA 1000 event of the European clay season.
The French Open — the highlight of the clay swing — starts at the end of May.It’s another frustrating bump in the road for the talented young player, but her team is clearly prioritizing a proper recovery over rushing back too soon.Fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that she can get healthy and build some momentum on the clay courts.