Emma Raducanu withdraws from Madrid Open as she continues fitness recovery

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from next week's Madrid Open as she continues to recover full fitness.

The British No 1 also pulled out of the WTA Tour events in Miami and Linz as she prioritises her rehabilitation from post-viral symptoms on the back of an illness she picked up in Romania during early February.

Raducanu - who also opted to sit out Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Australia - is understood to be back in training and hopeful of playing in Rome at the start of May.

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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.

Since splitting from her latest coach Francisco Roig in January, the 2021 US Open champion has been working on an informal basis with Mark Petchey as she looks to return to form.

Raducanu's next clay opportunity will be the Italian Open, which begins in Rome on May 5. That is followed by tournaments in Strasbourg and Rabat in the lead up to the French Open.

She becomes the latest marquee name to withdraw in Madrid, with Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Sonay Kartal and Barbora Krejcikova also pulling out.

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