Emma Raducanu withdraws from another tournament

Emma Raducanu has suffered yet another setback, pulling out of the Linz Open with ongoing problems stemming from a viral infection.

It has already been a stop-start 2026 for Raducanu, who withdrew from the Miami Open despite travelling to Florida and completing a practice session.

The Linz Open was supposed to be Raducanu’s first tournament on clay this year.

Along with Alexandra Eala, Raducanu had been one of the main draws of the tournament, which is due to be held from April 6 to 12. She had featured on Instagram posts advertising the event.

However, late on Tuesday she withdrew to prioritise a full recovery from a chest infection that she picked up weeks ago at the Transylvania Open.

Telegraph Sport understands that Raducanu is choosing to prioritise recovering from the illness before going into competitions on clay, with the clay-court European swing starting next week.

It is the second tournament in succession that Raducanu has withdrawn from. She left Miami early, where she had been expected to defend her 215 ranking points from 2025. She now sits at world No 28, but would not have been defending any points in Linz.

Raducanu will also not be involved in the Billie Jean King Cup tie between Great Britain and Australia in early April.

Raducanu’s turbulent campaign started with disruption caused by a foot injury over the winter and continued with the departure of her coach Francis Roig, soon after the Australian Open.

At Indian Wells, Raducanu won her first match with her best performance of the campaign. She then went out to Amanda Anisimova in the round of 32, and has not played another competitive match since.