Raducanu Reveals Fear of Doping Violation After Insect Bite Incident

Emma Raducanu reveals she declined treatment for an insect bite due to fears of inadvertently ingesting a contaminated substance and risking a doping violation.

Britain's Emma Raducanu revealed that she avoided treatment for an insect bite ahead of the Australian Open due to fears of inadvertently ingesting a contaminated substance. The 22-year-old former US Open champion explained that recent high-profile doping cases had made her wary of taking any medication.

Raducanu shared the details of the incident during her pre-tournament media conference. “I got really badly bitten by I don't know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I'm allergic, I guess,” Raducanu said. “They flared up and swelled up really a lot.”

Raducanu was offered an antiseptic spray to alleviate the discomfort, but she declined due to her concerns about potential doping violations. “Someone was 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,” Raducanu explained. “I was just 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.' It's obviously a concern on our mind.”

The tennis world was shaken last year when men's world number one Jannik Sinner tested positive for the banned substance clostebol. However, he escaped a ban after an independent tribunal hearing found that he bore no fault or negligence. Sinner's explanation that he had been inadvertently contaminated with the substance by his physiotherapist during a massage was accepted, although the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed against the decision.

A similar incident involved women's five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, who also escaped a lengthy ban after a tribunal accepted that her failed doping test for the banned substance trimetazidine had been the result of a contaminated batch of sleeping drug melatonin. These cases have highlighted the need for players to be extra cautious.

Emma Raducanu acknowledged the challenges faced by players in avoiding unintentional doping violations. “We're all in the same boat. I think it's just how we manage as best as we can the controllables,” she said. Raducanu emphasized the difficulties that arise when uncontrollable factors lead to doping violations. “If something out of our control happens, then it's going to be a bit of a struggle to try and prove.”