Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Italian Open as she continues to get back to full fitness, the Press Association understands.
The British No. 1 has been absent from the tour since Indian Wells at the start of March, pulling out of tournaments in Miami, Linz and Madrid citing the ongoing effects of a virus she picked up at the beginning of February.
Raducanu also opted to sit out Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Australia, but had been hopeful of playing in Rome.
The 23-year-old last played in the third round at Indian Wells on March 8, when she slipped to a 6-1, 6-1 defeat against Amanda Anisimova.
Speaking afterwards, Raducanu admitted she felt a lack of power had contributed to her low-key display.
“I need to obviously be aggressive when playing those players, but I think there’s still a long way to go to be doing that and I need to use my strengths and probably mix it up a bit more,” she said.
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Raducanu has been working again with the coach who helped her to the 2021 US Open title, Andrew Richardson, having spent time training in Spain at the Ferrer Tennis Academy near Alicante, where he is based.
The Press Association understands there are currently no plans for Richardson to have a role going forward.
Raducanu has worked mainly with hitting partner Alexis Canter since her split from previous coach Francisco Roig in January, although she did briefly turn again to Mark Petchey in Indian Wells.
