Emma Raducanu’s ankle was heavily swollen after an insect bite (Image: Getty)
has revealed she was too scared to put antiseptic spray on an insect bite for fear of failing a drug test before the .
and both tested positive for banned substances last year. The Polish No.2 served a one-month ban after taking melatonin to help her sleep.
And the British No.2 said she preferred to suffer the pain after suffering an allergic reaction than take the “risk” of suffering the same fate.
“I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” said the former US Open champion.
“Yesterday I got really badly bitten by jumping ants, mosquitoes or something. I’m allergic, I guess.
“They flared up and swelled up really a lot. Someone was, like, 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.
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“I was just like 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!” So I spent the second, you know, part of my day coming in to sign, seeing the doctor to try to get some like remedies, because I had a bit of an allergic reaction. But I’m fine now.
“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 pulled out of a warm-up event in Auckland after suffering a back spasm in training. She added: “I had a really good block of training in London before Billie Jean King Cup and after the tie, pretty much going straight back into it.
“I just, yeah, one morning was warming up, bent over to tie my laces, and I had a spasm. That was really it. It took a while to clear.
“I’ve had them before. They’ve usually settled within a few days. But this one niggled for a couple weeks. I had to, yeah, miss quite a bit of training before I left. Wasn’t able to play Auckland.
Emma Raducanu has never got past the second round of the Australian Open (Image: Getty)
“Now I’m feeling good and I feel like I can, yeah, give it my best here, yeah, do the good training and continue with that.”
Raducanu has not played a competitive match since the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November – or on the WTA Tour since September after suffering a foot injury.
The world No.60 tearfully admitted she had not played enough after losing in the first round of the US Open. But Raducanu said: “I think the difference between this and US Open is before US Open, I hadn’t actually trained like at all really. But I’ve been putting in really good work.
“This week I’ve been playing sets with, yeah, top players. I’m feeling like I’m holding my own more than okay in those instances and practices. I feel pretty good with my game. Yeah, I’m looking forward to putting it on the match court.”
Asked what her ranking would be if she had played a full season in 2024, the former world No.10 said: “Well, I feel like would have, should have, could have is just something that doesn’t really exist in sport in general.
“I know that whenever I play, like, any top opponent, I feel like with the way that I’m feeling on the practice court right now, I was practicing with top-10 players, feeling pretty good out there, I think I can be a dangerous opponent for anyone really.
“So yeah, I think you have to kind of have that belief as a player. It’s not really worth it going on court if you don’t believe you can win.”
Raducanu will face Russian world No.27 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round on Tuesday.