Emma Raducanu pulls out of tournament as long-term illness derails 2026 campaign

Emma Raducanu has been missing from the WTA Tour for almost two months now as she withdrew from another upcoming tournament that was set to take place next week.

The US Open winner 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.

Raducanu attempted to make a return to the court for the Miami Open and had been training before citing lingering effects from a viral illness, even stating this as a factor for her poor performances on the court in February.

Now, the 23-year-old has withdrew from the Madrid Open that is set to start next week extending her absence from tennis after she took a break from training following her problems in Miami.

According to her representatives, as reported by the Guardian, Raducanu is hopeful of competing at the Italian Open in Rome, which begins in two weeks on 4 May.

Emma Raducanu was knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round. (Image: Robert Prange/Getty Images)

This will be important if she is to compete at Roland Garros at the end of May, as she will want to give herself the best preparation possible for the Grand Slam, having missed several weeks along with most of the clay season.

Raducanu’s 2026 has been disastrous to say the least to this point, and she will be wondering when a bit of respite may be coming, as it started off poorly as she suffered a loss to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup in Perth on 5 January; however, this was her first game back after a foot injury, and she had only begun intense training days before the clash.

This illness is something the British tennis player will not rush through, as she wants to be at her best, and to do this, she needs to recover correctly, and so this would explain her not rushing back for the Madrid Open.

Raducanu is one of several notable names that will be missing from the tennis tournament in the Spanish capital, as both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will not be taking part either, with the pair citing injuries as the reason behind their expected absence.