Emma Raducanu revealed that she refused to use an antiseptic spray on insect bites because she was worried about failing a drug test before the Australian Open.
The British tennis player claimed that although her hand and ankle swelled, she declined the treatment in case the contamination resulted in a positive doping test.
She told reporters at a pre-tournament news conference on Friday: “All of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use. Yesterday, for example, I got really badly bitten by I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess. They flared up and swelled up really a lot. Someone was giving me this natural antiseptic spray to try to ease the bites. I didn’t want to take it. I didn’t want to spray it. I was just left there with my swollen ankle and hand.”
She added: “I was like, I’m just going to tough it out because I don’t want to risk it. It’s obviously a concern on our minds. We’re all in the same boat. I think it’s just how we manage as best as we can the controllable. If something out of our control happens, then it’s going to be a bit of a struggle to try and prove.”
Raducanu has been training at Melbourne Park this week after missing her planned warm-up tournament in Auckland last week due to what she described as a back niggle. She claimed that a spasm sustained during training in London was the cause of the issue.
Fans were puzzled after Raducanu refused to cure a bug bite fearing contamination. One fan wrote: “It shouldn’t be like this.”
Another commented: “Advantage bugs?”
One fan wrote: “Maybe the tournament directors should provide some safe spray for the athletes.”
Emma Raducanu in 2025
Currently ranked no.60, Emma played her last match on the 19th of November 2024 when she overcame world no.235 Viktoria Kuzmova 6-4 6-4 in the Rubber 1 in (draw).
This season Raducanu has managed to achieve a composed 23-13 win-loss record.
Emma Raducanu will come up against the world no.56 Viktoriya Tomova in the final. Their head to head is 1-0 for Tomova.