Tennis icon issues stark warning to Raducanu after tournament pull-out

A British tennis icon has told Emma Raducanu what she needs to fix after the 23-year-old pulled out of the Linz Open.

British number one Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, will have to wait to start her clay-court season after it was confirmed that she will not take part in the Linz Open, a WTA 500 event in Austria next week.

According to her representatives, the Brit is recovering from a viral illness. Last week, Raducanu began to experience issues during the Middle East hard-court swing and fell ill.

She subsequently competed at Indian Wells, losing to world number six Amanda Anisimova in round three, before withdrawing from the Miami Open due to illness.

Aside from her health issues, Raducanu has had a turbulent first quarter of 2026, showing inconsistent form while also changing coaches in March, having ended her partnership with Francisco Roig after the Australian Open. In total, Raducanu has worked with nine coaches.

Emma Raducanu has pulled out of the Linz Open (Credit:Getty)

The world number 28 has suggested that her natural playing style has been coached out of her and that she needs to ‘relearn’ it.

However, former British number one and four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman believes the youngster also needs to work on her fitness if she wants to get back to the top of women’s tennis.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Henman said: “It was highlighted in a match against Amanda Anisimova.

"She’s never going to be as big a ball striker as Anisimova, and the physicality that she brings to the court is obviously intimidating, as these top players are. But that’s where I think Raducanu needs to be physically stronger. She needs more physical resilience so she doesn’t get the little injuries that keep her off the court. They stop her building momentum on the match court.

"You can still do a lot of physical work on the court, whether it’s two-on-one when you’re hitting and moving and building up that physical resilience to get stronger, to get faster, to hit the ball harder and to serve bigger. If I could pinpoint one area, it would most definitely be fitness.”

Eighteen-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova has also waded in with her thoughts, suggesting that Raducanu should pick her next coach ‘carefully’ and then ‘stick’ with them.

"Give it a year because it takes time to become comfortable with making changes and being able to incorporate the person into your game,” Navratilova said.

"The biggest thing I see is that she could get fitter, which the coach has nothing to do with, but the coach can only do so much.

"Pick the right coach and stick with him or her, please!"