Emma Raducanu will extend her absence from the WTA Tour after withdrawing from the Madrid Open, with a viral illness keeping her out of action for nearly two months. The Briton has not competed since a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Amanda Anisimova in the second round of Indian Wells on 8 March.
Raducanu briefly trained at the Miami Open but withdrew citing lingering symptoms from an earlier viral illness that had affected her during the Middle East swing in February. She has only recently returned to practice and must rebuild match fitness, with her representatives indicating she is hopeful of competing at the Italian Open in Rome starting 4 May.
This absence is the latest disruption in Raducanu's turbulent career. After a stable second half of 2025 that saw her return to the top 30, the first four months of 2026 have been a disaster. She suffered a foot injury at the end of last season, began training at full intensity only days before her first match, and has a 7-7 record this year. Her only positive week came in a run to the final in Cluj, Romania.
Raducanu also made technical changes to her forehand at the start of the season, which performed poorly, and ended her coaching partnership with Francisco Roig. Roig has since worked with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and now coaches Iga Swiatek.
The Madrid Open will also be without men's stars Carlos Alcaraz (wrist injury) and Novak Djokovic (injury), while Jack Draper's participation is uncertain after retiring in Barcelona. Elsewhere, Elena Rybakina won the Stuttgart Open on Sunday, defeating Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1 to claim her second title of the season and drive away with a Porsche for the second time in her career.
