‘Nervous every time’ – Emma Raducanu worried about failing drug test and admits she even fears going to restaurants
EMMA RADUCANU is “nervous” about the possible risk of failing a drugs test should she ever take contaminated medicine – or if she were deliberately targeted by restaurant waiters.
This week’s Italian Open in Rome sees the return of Jannik Sinner following the end of a three-month doping ban he managed to agree with World Anti-Doping Agency chiefs.
The world No.1 twice tested positive for prohibited substance clostebol, an anabolic steroid, in March 2024 but denied he had intentionally tried to enhance his performance.
The 23-year-old claimed he had been inadvertently contaminated by a steroid cream his physiotherapist, who was later sacked, had applied to his own hands before treating the Italian.
Sinner, the reigning Australian and US Open champion, was initially cleared of doping by an independent tribunal, who determined he bore “no fault or negligence”.
Elsewhere, five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, 23, accepted a one-month suspension in the off-season after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024.
Drug busters accepted that the Pole’s positive result was caused by the contamination of a regulated non-prescription melatonin medication.
Raducanu, 22, said: “I don’t want to take anything even if the doctors are saying you should take this – just out of risk of contamination.
“Even if it’s not prohibited on the anti-doping list, you don’t know if it’s contaminated by another product.
“It can show a green tick, but if it’s contaminated you will still get screwed over.
“We could go to a restaurant (and someone could put something in our drink). It’s really hard, especially if you are noticeable and the waiter recognises you.
“It’s something I do worry about – it’s nervous every time.”
Raducanu, up to 49 in the world, will face a qualifier in round one of the Italian Open on Wednesday and the winner takes on Russian No.21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Eight weeks out from Wimbledon, she is content with her current coaching arrangement but will need to “figure another solution out” towards the end of the year.
She is keen to develop a longer-term partnership with trusted Mark Petchey, who also works as a commentator for the Tennis Channel.
Jane O’Donoghue, a friend and former LTA national women’s coach, is helping her, too, but she is on a sabbatical from her current full-time job in finance.
Raducanu told BBC Sport: “It’s been working pretty well.
“Mark is doing his commentary work and around that he is going to help me as much as he can and hopefully the times align that he can be there with me in the matches.
“That’s why Jane is here for when he’s not able to make it to the session.
“While she’s not working it’s nice to have her as much as possible, but she will go back to work and then I need to figure another solution out.
“I want to use this period of the clay season to try and work on certain things in my game that I think are going to help me bridge the gap to the next level.
“I want to take more balls on, I want to be more aggressive in certain points – I want to structure the points more on my terms.
“I know I may make more errors doing that, but I’m willing to go through that.”