The uncertainty surrounding Emma Raducanu has been growing in recent weeks, as the British No 1 faces a tough start to 2026.
After being forced to withdraw from events at the end of last year due to injuries and illness, that trend has continued into this season.
Raducanu was not fully fit in some of her first events and when she reached her first regular WTA Tour final in Cluj, she was well beaten in the final in a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Sorana Cirstea.
Since that match in early February, Raducanu has played one match against Qatar’s Camila Osorio, which she lost.
She then lost in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against Antonia Ruzic, as she again struggled with physical problems.
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Emma Raducanu has been backed by the former No 1 to return to the top 10 in the world if she can improve a significant place.
One win at the Indian Wells Open was backed up by an emphatic victory against Amanda Anisimova, with her absence from the Miami Open later in March due to what was described as an ongoing viral problem.
Raducanu’s plans to return this week were scrapped when he pulled out of the Linz tournament with ongoing physical problems, with the mystery behind his lingering illness the subject of intense speculation.
There are now suggestions that Raducanu is eyeing a return to action at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid which gets underway on April 22.
There has been little information about Raducanu’s condition and if he doesn’t return to Madrid, there will be big signs as to whether he will return for the French Open next month at Roland Garros.
“They said in Cluj that he has a chest infection and I’m working on the next two matches when he retired and lost in the Middle East,” Sky Sports reporter Gigi Salmon told Tennis365, while asking what the problem is for Raducanu.
“I was wondering if it was a chest infection caused by a chest infection. Maybe you are told not to play and rest, but you want to play and try to put it behind you and chase the points of the situation.
“Is something stressing Emma? I’ve asked a few old players to try to figure out what it is. If it keeps happening, I’m going to fall one way or the other.”
Former Great Britain Tim Henman has also given his verdict on Raducanu, as he told Tennis365 that his fitness is the biggest factor in bringing the US Open 2021 champion back to the top.
Henman added: “He’s 23, and there are a lot of 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds on this tour who are ahead of him. “You can’t wait, but he’s still a very good player.
“It’s just my belief, and I think a lot of people believe that she can be a lot better. And that’s exciting, it’s exciting. There’s no doubt that there’s more scrutiny on Emma than others, but she’s used to it now.
He is 25 years old in the world, but many of us believe that he can be much better.
“It’s been a stop-start, whether it’s a change of coach or a physical obstacle. He has to adapt to be fast enough to compete with the biggest players.
“I think Raducanu needs to be physically stronger, he needs to have more physical strength so that he doesn’t get minor injuries that have kept him off the field.
“You can still do a lot of physical work on the field, whether it’s two-on-one hitting and moving and building that fitness in the body to be stronger, faster, hit the ball harder, serve more.
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