Tennis news: Emma Raducanu facing fresh blow and star slapped with huge ban
Emma Raducanu is set to endure a new blow during her time on the sidelines. The British ace has been out of action since June as she recovers from a stress fracture in her leg, prompting her to fall down the world rankings.
The 23-year-old captured global attention during her remarkable run to clinch the US Open title in 2021. Raducanu was recently forced to miss her career-defining Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows due to her injury. She last played at Queen’s in June, shortly before Wimbledon, and has since withdrawn from the upcoming China Open, despite initially being on the entry list. Meanwhile, an Argentine tennis prospect has been banned from the sport after being found to have breached anti-doping rules. Here, Express Sport takes a closer look at some of the biggest tennis stories.
Emma Raducanu facing fresh blow
Raducanu was ranked inside the world’s top 40 when she was last in action against Donna Vekic in the Queen’s final. However, the Brit has plummeted down the rankings during her injury lay-off.
The WTA rankings list Raducanu as world No.89, having fallen a further 19 places over the last week. Moreover, the 23-year-old could face a fresh blow as she is at risk of falling out of the top 100. Raducanu is currently predicted to slump to No. 97 next week, according to the live rankings at the time of writing.
The developments could also lead fellow Brit Fran Jones to overtake Raducanu in the near future. The 25-year-old is currently No.106 but could soon move up several places after competing at a WTA event in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Tennis star given suspension
Argentine tennis player Romeo Arcuschin has received a 20-month ban for breaching anti-doping rules. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced his suspension, which provisionally began in February and will run until October 2027.
The 19-year-old tested positive for banned substances stanozol and clomifene during an event in December. An independent tribunal heard Arcuschin, who did not dispute the test, stated that he was prescribed a 30-day course of medication by a sports doctor, which included the two substances.
Arcuschin was not informed of the substances as part of his treatment for muscle atrophy while overcoming an injury and the medication was unlabelled. He completed the course and ingested the banned substances, leading to his suspension. The tribunal accepted that Arcuschin’s breaches were unintentional and reduced his level of fault, given the doctor’s actions and the player’s limited understanding of the regulations.
