Emma Raducanu is targeting a return at the Internationaux de Strasbourg as she attempts to salvage her preparations for Roland Garros following a bizarre withdrawal from the Italian Open. The British number one sparked confusion on Tuesday when she pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome just minutes after telling reporters she had 'turned a corner' in her recovery from a chest infection that had kept her off court since February.
Latest setback raises French Open concerns
Naturally, fears around her participation in this month's French Open have escalated following this latest setback. However, sources have indicated to Daily Mail Sport that she intends to play at the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg, which starts on May 17. That falls just a week before the French Open, leaving Raducanu desperately low on time for a competitive outing on clay prior to the second Grand Slam of the season.
Although Raducanu is not yet on the official entry list for Strasbourg, it is understood the former US Open champion is likely to receive a wildcard. Her most recent attempt at a comeback has stirred exasperation due to the strange scenes surrounding her withdrawal.
Raducanu's upbeat interview contradicted by withdrawal
The 23-year-old had been upbeat about her health in an interview with British reporters at 6.30pm on Tuesday, stating that she wasn't '100 per cent' but was ready to return after battling the residual effects of illness. In those Tuesday interviews, Raducanu said: 'In the beginning, it was quite difficult. I wasn't feeling the best physically, and I think it had just been lingering for a while. Whereas the last three weeks, I think I've really turned a corner and I feel so much better, and that's a really positive thing for me.'
She added: 'I feel great on the court. I feel like every day I'm working towards something. The break has helped me feel really motivated coming back, very hungry and happy to be out here training and putting out great sessions every day.'
With her media obligations fulfilled, thereby avoiding the possibility of a Tour sanction, Raducanu's withdrawal from the tournament was then announced half an hour later. It was another cryptic episode in her season.
A season of setbacks
A foot injury prior to the year's opening Grand Slam at the Australian Open proved problematic, and Raducanu went on to separate from her coach Francisco Roig after departing in the second round in Melbourne. Having reached a first WTA-level final in five years at the Winners Open in Romania in February, she was then hit by illness. She has since reunited, briefly, with Andrew Richardson, the coach who oversaw her US Open triumph before they parted ways, but that partnership will not be deployed on a formal basis.
