Emma Raducanu withdraws from Linz Open amid recovery
Emma Raducanu will not compete at the Linz Open next week as Britain’s top-ranked female player continues her recovery from a viral illness, reports BritPanorama.
The 23-year-old contracted the illness during her time in Romania at the start of February and has been dealing with lingering symptoms ever since. Her team confirmed that regaining full fitness remains the priority for the 2021 US Open champion.
The withdrawal from the Austrian tournament follows her earlier decision to skip the Miami Open. Raducanu has focused entirely on her rehabilitation rather than rushing back to competitive action, and she has also chosen not to represent Great Britain in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Australia.
The Madrid tournament later this month now appears to be her targeted comeback event. Raducanu’s most recent competitive appearance came at Indian Wells on March 8, where she suffered a heavy 6-1, 6-1 loss to Amanda Anisimova in the third round, a match that lasted just 52 minutes. In that contest, Raducanu managed only two winners compared to 21 from her opponent, highlighting her ongoing struggles.
After that defeat, Raducanu expressed that a lack of power contributed to her performance, stating, “I need to obviously be aggressive when playing those players, but I think there’s still a long way to go to be doing that and I need to use my strengths and probably mix it up a bit more.”
Off the court, the Kent-born player parted ways with coach Francisco Roig in January and has since been training informally with Mark Petchey as she works to rediscover her best form. Raducanu first gained national attention during the summer of 2021 at Wimbledon, entering as a wildcard and reaching the fourth round in her first-ever Grand Slam main draw appearance.
She later won the 2021 US Open, becoming the first British woman to win a major singles title since Virginia Wade in 1977, and has been in the spotlight ever since as she navigates the challenges of maintaining her health and competitive edge.
As Raducanu works through her recovery, fans remain hopeful for her swift return to form, bearing witness to the delicate balance between health and ambition in the unforgiving world of professional sport.
