Emma Raducanu shares fitness update before French Open after 66 days away from tennis
British No. 1 and 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu is getting ready to return to tennis after taking two months off because of health problems.
Emma, 23, who is currently ranked 30th in the world, hasn’t played a match since she lost to Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells in March. She had to skip four tournaments in a row—the Miami Open, Linz Open, Madrid Open, and Italian Open—because she was dealing with post-viral infection symptoms.
She was hoping to come back at the Italian Open and even spoke to the media before the tournament, but had to pull out last minute. Now, she’s been given a wildcard to play at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, starting on May 17. This is just a week before the French Open, the second big tournament of the season.
Emma previously played Strasbourg as a wildcard last year and made it to the second round. This year, she’s won seven of her 14 matches so far in 2026.
Earlier in May, Emma told BBC Sport that she would only return when she felt “100 percent ready.” She said, “I feel really good right now in terms of where I am headed. I’ve worked hard over the last three weeks, but it’s still early in my comeback.”
She also shared how tough it was to recover: “I had almost six weeks of doing nothing, just trying to get over the virus. It really takes a lot out of you. I’m feeling better—not completely back to 100%—but I have a clear goal and a good plan.”
In another interview, she explained, “Post-viral is hard. You feel drained and tired with no energy. It lasts a long time. I’m still working on building up.”
Emma’s return will be great news for the French Open, especially since stars like men’s champ Carlos Alcaraz and Britain’s Jack Draper have already pulled out due to injuries. Other players like Holger Rune and Arthur Cazaux have also withdrawn.