Emma Raducanu said she believes she was bitten by jumping ants as she prepares for the start of the Australian Open.
Raducanu disclosed Friday that she suffered swelling to her hand and ankle as a result.
The 22-year-old British tennis star told reporters that she pondered whether to use antiseptic spray to combat an allergic reaction to the bites, however she went against that idea for fear that it could lead to an unintentional positive doping test.
“They flared up and swelled up really a lot,” Raducanu said. “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. 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. We’re all in the same boat. I think it’s just how we manage as best as we can the controllables. If something out of our control happens, then it’s going to be a bit of a struggle to try and prove (that a positive test is the result of contamination).”
Raducanu will begin her quest for her second major title — and first since the 2021 U.S. Open — when she faces Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova on Sunday in the first round of the Australian Open.
–Field Level Media
