Britain's Emma Raducanu pulled out of the Italian Open on Friday, citing a lingering post‑viral illness that has kept her off the WTA Tour for two months. She arrived in Rome on Saturday, trained for a day and held a brief media interview before the withdrawal was confirmed. WTA regulations require on‑site press duties even when a player pulls out, with fines possible for non‑compliance.

Raducanu’s last match was at Indian Wells on March 8, and she has since missed Miami, Linz and Madrid while the virus drained her stamina. She has trained at London’s National Tennis Centre and the Ferrer Academy near Benidorm, accompanied by former LTA coach Jane O’Donoghue and physio Emma Stewart. She told BBC Sport she feels “better, not 100 %,” and is taking a measured comeback.

Missing Rome erases the points Raducanu earned from a fourth‑round run last year, likely dropping her out of the top 32 and stripping her of a seed at the French Open, which starts on May 24. With only Strasbourg or Rabat left on the clay calendar, a further absence would extend her layoff to three months before the grass season begins.