Emma Raducanu Withdraws From Madrid Open, Extending Viral Illness Absence

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the upcoming Madrid Open, extending her absence from the WTA Tour by at least two more weeks, the BBC reported.

The BBC said the British number one has struggled to shake off a viral illness which first affected her at tournaments in the Middle East in February, and that she competed at Indian Wells in early March before skipping the Miami Open and the Linz Open.

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The BBC added that Raducanu, the 23-year-old former US Open winner, has been working primarily on her fitness and is likely to need “a considerable amount of time to train on clay before returning to the tour.”

The BBC also said Raducanu had a “very promising debut clay court season in 2022,” but hurt her back in Madrid and had to retire from her first match in Rome a week later.

The Guardian reported that Raducanu will extend her absence because of a viral illness to two months after she withdrew from the coming week’s Madrid Open.

The Guardian tied the timeline to match results, saying Raducanu has not competed since a “6-1, 6-1 loss to Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the Indian Wells Open on 8 March.”

The Independent similarly said Raducanu has not played since Indian Wells in early March, citing post-viral symptoms, and that she is still working on recovering her full fitness.

Across the reports, the withdrawal is framed as the latest step in a longer disruption tied to illness and the demands of clay.

The BBC said Raducanu’s viral illness “first affected her at tournaments in the Middle East in February,” and that after Indian Wells in early March she skipped both the Miami Open and the Linz Open, which had been due to be her “first clay court event of the year.”

BBC

The BBC also said Raducanu is likely to need “a considerable amount of time to train on clay before returning to the tour,” and that she will be wary of the stress it can put on her “intermittently troublesome back.”

The Guardian added that Raducanu briefly trained on-site at the Miami Open just over a week later, but then withdrew from the Miami Open citing lingering symptoms from an earlier viral illness.

The Guardian said that in the aftermath of her Miami Open withdrawal, Raducanu took “a considerable amount of time off from training,” and that she “only recently returned to practice” and now must build up her match fitness again.

The Independent echoed the post-viral framing, saying Raducanu “did not play at the Miami Open and pulled out of the Linz Open in Austria, which was scheduled to be her first event on clay.”

The Guardian reported that Raducanu’s representatives are hopeful she can compete at the Italian Open in Rome, which begins in two weeks on 4 May, while the BBC said her next clay opportunity will be at the Italian Open in Rome from 5 May.

Raducanu’s pullout is reported alongside a broader wave of withdrawals affecting the Madrid Open draw.

The BBC said the Madrid Open starts on Tuesday, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic also having pulled out of the tournament.

The Guardian similarly said the Madrid Open will be without a number of men’s stars this week, naming Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic as withdrawals, and adding that it was unclear whether Jack Draper will be back in Madrid after retiring from his first-round match in Barcelona.

The Independent said Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have also pulled out of the Madrid Open, which starts on Tuesday in the Spanish capital, and it described Draper as a doubt after retiring in Barcelona with a knee injury.

The Daily Express framed the situation as “draw chaos,” saying Raducanu’s withdrawal came as another blow for tournament organisers after Alcaraz and Djokovic withdrew within hours of each other on Friday.

The Mirror likewise said Raducanu withdrew as Alcaraz and Djokovic caused “draw chaos,” and it stated that Alcaraz suffered a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open while Djokovic is managing a persistent injury.

Tennis365 expanded the list of withdrawals, saying the number of players to withdraw from the 2026 Madrid Open has risen to 17 across both the women’s and men’s singles tournaments.

Several reports connect Raducanu’s Madrid withdrawal to her longer-running fitness and coaching changes, and they place the illness absence within a season marked by other disruptions.

The BBC said Raducanu has been relying on Alexis Canter for regular support since parting company with coach Francisco Roig after the Australian Open, and it quoted Raducanu saying in Indian Wells her mind was “open” to the possibility of employing another full-time coach.

BBC

The Guardian described a turbulent career arc, saying the second half of her hopeful 2025 season was stable enough for her to return to the top 30, but that the first four months of 2026 had been “a disaster.”

The Guardian said a foot injury suffered at the end of last season meant Raducanu began training at full intensity only a couple of days before her first match of the season, a loss to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup in Perth on 5 January.

The Guardian also said her one positive week came in her run to the final of the WTA 250 event in Cluj, Romania, as the No 1 seed, and it described the only time she has won consecutive matches since the US Open in August.

The Guardian reported that she is “tepid 7-7 in 2026” and that she started the season having made technical changes to her forehand.

The Daily Express and Mirror both described her as 23 and linked her season to illness and injuries, with the Daily Express saying she will lose 35 ranking points as a result of this year’s withdrawal.

The sources converge on the idea that Raducanu’s next steps depend on regaining match fitness and choosing when to return to clay, with the Madrid withdrawal potentially reshaping her schedule.

“Emma Raducanu has pulled out of her third consecutive tournament and will miss the upcoming Madrid Open as she continues to recover from an illness she picked up in February”

Daily Express

The BBC said her next opportunity to play on clay will be at the Italian Open in Rome from 5 May, and it warned that if Raducanu does not appear at all on clay, her break will extend to three months and leave her “painfully short of matches heading into the grass court season.”

Daily Express

The Guardian said Raducanu is hopeful of competing at the Italian Open in Rome, which begins in two weeks on 4 May, and it added that her absence from most of the clay-court season would make the challenge of performing on her least favourite surface even tougher.

The Independent said her preparations for Roland Garros may not begin until the Italian Open in two weeks, and it described her as still working on recovering her full fitness.

Tennis365, meanwhile, placed Raducanu among a larger group of withdrawals for the Madrid Open, saying the WTA Madrid Open withdrawal list included “Emma Raducanu (world No 29) – replaced by Ajla Tomljanovic,” and it also stated that the women’s singles final would be played on Saturday 2 May.

For the men’s side, Tennis365 listed multiple replacements tied to withdrawals, including “Carlos Alcaraz (world No 2) – replaced by Sebastian Ofner” and “Novak Djokovic (world No 4) – replaced by Adam Walton,” while also noting that the women’s main draw action begins on Tuesday and the men’s tournament gets underway on Wednesday.

The Guardian added that the Madrid Open will be without Alcaraz and Djokovic, while the BBC said the Madrid Open starts on Tuesday with both men also having pulled out, underscoring how Raducanu’s absence fits into a wider reshuffle.