Emma Raducanu Withdraws from French Open Qualifying to Focus on Grass-Court Training

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu (22) is set to miss the French Open at Roland Garros after pulling out of this week’s qualifying tournament. Although she is the third alternate for the main draw, participating in the qualifying rounds, which start on Monday, would have ensured her a spot in the main draw. However, her name was absent from the list of qualifiers on the Roland Garros website as of Sunday.

“It’s important for me to keep building a strong foundation, so I will use this time for a solid training block before the grass and hard court seasons to stay fit for the rest of the year,” Raducanu said in a statement on Sunday, quoted by British media.

Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, has struggled with frequent injuries and is currently ranked 212 globally. Her only appearance on the clay courts of Paris was in 2022, where she was seeded 12th but lost in three sets to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round. She was not granted a wild card for this year’s tournament.

Recently, Raducanu reached the quarter-finals in Stuttgart, losing to world number one Iga Swiatek. She then faced a straight-sets defeat in the first round of the Madrid Open to world No. 82 Lourdes Carle. Following this match, Raducanu admitted feeling “mentally and emotionally exhausted.”

The French Open main tournament begins on May 26th.