Emma Raducanu's Mysterious Absence

Emma Raducanu has confirmed yet another withdrawal from a WTA Tour event. The British tennis star will not compete in next week's Linz Open, a decision her team attributed to her ongoing struggle to regain full fitness.

While a viral infection, which has reportedly affected her since early February, is cited as the reason for her withdrawal, the mystery surrounding her sudden absence continues to raise questions.

The British number one maintains that she has prioritized recovering from post-viral symptoms, stemming from an illness contracted in Romania. This condition previously led her to pull out of the Miami Open and opt out of representing Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers against Australia.

The 23-year-old Raducanu's focus is now on a potential return to the WTA circuit in Madrid later this month. Her last official match was on March 8th, in the third round of Indian Wells, where she suffered a heavy 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Amanda Anisimova.

Following that match, Raducanu herself admitted to a lack of power, which she felt contributed to her subdued performance.

"Obviously, I need to be aggressive playing these players, but I think there's still a long way to go to achieve that. I need to use my strengths and probably vary my game a bit more," she stated.

It's worth noting that the 2021 US Open champion has been working informally with Mark Petchey in an attempt to rediscover her best form, ever since parting ways with her last coach, Francisco Roig, in January.