Emma Raducanu Eyes New Return Date After Linz Open Withdraw

Last year was Emma Raducanu's strongest season since her unexpected breakout late in the 2021 WTA season. So far, Raducanu has failed to continue the momentum into the 2026 season.

On Wednesday morning, multiple news outlets reported that Raducanu withdrew from this week's Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open. The WTA 500 event could have been the start of Raducanu's clay court season, but she needs more time to recover from lingering effects following a viral illness.

BREAKING: Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from next week's Linz Open as she continues to recover full fitness, her team have confirmed 🚨 pic.twitter.com/cBNa6UoGQ3
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 1, 2026

Raducanu caught the illness in early February, battling through it to the finals of the Transylvania Open in February. She also played the Middle East Swing and Indian Wells before pulling out of the Miami Open. This also coincides with her latest coaching change, where she parted ways with coach Francisco Roig and reunited with Mark Petchey.

The Linz Open runs from April 6-12. Looking ahead at the WTA calendar, Raducanu is expected to return to action at the Mutua Madrid Open. The WTA 1000 Masters event runs from April 21 through May 3. This move gives the top-ranked British women's star another three weeks to reach her preferred level of fitness.

Emma Raducanu admits she felt "gassed from the start" of her first final since her 2021 US Open triumph 😰

Raducanu, who says she was battling an infection in the latter stages of the Transylvania Open, lost 0-6 2-6 to Sorana Cirstea. pic.twitter.com/Coz9F6QBCT
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 7, 2026

Compounding the issues for Raducanu, the missed tournaments are starting to impact her place in the WTA Rankings. Raducanu fell five spots to World No. 28 after missing the Miami Open. The more time she misses, the worse her seeding will be at future tournaments. With the French Open right around the corner, Raducanu could face a tough match as early as the second round.

So far this season, Raducanu has a singles record of 7-7. The two highlights of her 2026 campaign have been the finals run in Romania and the announcement of her Uniqlo partnership just ahead of Indian Wells. While both are great accomplishments, it's far from where the one-time Grand Slam champion hoped to be at this point in the year.

'A match like that is never easy to take'

Emma Raducanu reacts after defeat to Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells 💭 pic.twitter.com/j1Xfyu2g5F
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) March 9, 2026

This could all be overblown, as several of the top tennis players are delaying their starts to the clay court season. Over the past few weeks, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, and Jack Draper have all pulled out of the Monte-Carlo Masters on the men's side to get right physically before the summer months.

Clay court season is here, and tennis fans can expect more swings in the rankings. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.