Tennis star Emma Raducanu made headlines a few hours before the start of the WTA tournament in Rome. Late on Tuesday afternoon, at her final PK, she said how much she was looking forward to the event. A few minutes after the press conference, she suddenly canceled her tournament start.
Former US Open winner Emma Raducanu kept everyone guessing on Tuesday before the WTA tournament in Rome. A few minutes after answering questions from press representatives at the facility, her team announced that the 23-year-old would not play her first round game and would withdraw.
The Raducanu team cited post-viral syndrome as the reason, an illness that the British woman has reportedly been suffering from for several years. The symptoms are diverse and range from chronic fatigue and sleep disorders to exercise intolerance and muscle pain.
In recent years, Raducanu has had to cancel countless tournament starts due to her illness. So far, she hasn’t had to back out at such short notice as she did now in Rome, where she had assured a few minutes earlier that she was looking forward to the tournament.
Raducanu has found a new, old coach
The 23-year-old was last on the pitch at the beginning of March this year in Indian Wells. There she lost out in the third round. She canceled further tournament participation in the following weeks due to her illness and a wrist injury. However, in the last few days she has been training regularly in Rome. She hasn’t played a match on clay yet this year.
Shortly before the tournament in Rome it was announced that she was now working alongside Andrew Richardson again. Under the coach she sensationally won the US Open in 2021. When the duo separated, Raducanu’s long coaching journey began, during which she hired numerous trainers and kicked each of them out after just a few months.
