Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu has refused treatment on her nasty insect bites over doping fears on the eve of the Australian Open.
Raducanu revealed her ankle and hand swelled up following the bites, but she won’t entertain the risk of using an antiseptic spray to treat them.
The revelation comes after the much-publicised doping cases involving Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner.
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Swiatek served a one-month ban after it was accepted that medication she took to combat jet lag was contaminated.
Sinner’s future is under a murky cloud after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed a decision to ban him for one month for twice testing positive for an anabolic steroid last March.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled Sinner was not at fault, accepting the 23-year-old’s explanation that the banned performance enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who apparently used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.
However, with WADA appealing, Sinner could still be suspended for up to two years if found guilty.
The high-profile cases have rival players on high alert.
“I got really badly bitten by I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” Raducanu said.
“They flared up and swelled up really a lot. Someone was giving me this antiseptic spray, natural, 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. 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 mind. We’re all in the same boat. I think it’s just how we manage as best as we can the controllables. If something out of our control happens, then it’s going to be a bit of a struggle to try and prove.”
Raducanu faces 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in a difficult first round match at Melbourne Park.
The 22-year-old has dealt with a raft of injuries since her breakthrough at the 2021 US Open when she stunned the field to becomes the first qualifier to win a grand slam title.
She pulled out of the Auckland International after suffering a back spasm and despite heading into the Australian Open with no competitive matches since November, Raducanu is feeling confident.
“I feel good. I feel healthy and feel I’ve been training well. I’m prepared and ready to go,” she said.
“I think I can be a dangerous opponent for anyone really. You have to kind of have that belief as a player.
“It’s not really worth going on court if you don’t believe you can win.”
Ben Sutton
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