British tennis star Emma Raducanu revealed that jumping ants bit her ahead of the Australian Open, causing swelling on her hand and ankle. The 21-year-old said she experienced an allergic reaction to the bites, but chose not to use antiseptic spray due to concerns about the possibility of an inadvertent positive doping test.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam, Emma Raducanu shared the details of the incident. “I basically got bitten really badly, like, by these, I don’t know, jumping ants or something,” she explained. “I had a bit of an allergic reaction, and I spent part of my day seeing the doctor and trying to find remedies. But I’m fine now.”
Raducanu decided to avoid using the antiseptic spray, which the medical team suggested to alleviate the swelling, due to the potential risks associated with doping regulations. Recent doping controversies in tennis, involving top stars like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, have raised concerns over inadvertent positive tests. While Sinner avoided a ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency cleared him, Swiatek received a one-month suspension for an out-of-competition violation.
Raducanu added, “It’s obviously a concern. We’re all in the same boat. It’s about managing the controllables, but if something out of our control happens, proving contamination would be difficult.”
The 2021 US Open champion is looking to make a strong run at the Australian Open this year. Raducanu has only reached the second round in each of her three previous appearances and will face Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. A potential third-round matchup with world No. 2 Iga Swiatek could be on the horizon.
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