British tennis star Emma Raducanu says she turned down treatment for insect bites ahead of this year’s Australian Open over concerns about what she could be putting in her body.

Raducanu, who faces No. 26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the opening round, said in her pre-tournament news conference that she got “badly bitten” by ants or mosquitoes Thursday January 9. Despite suffering what she described as an allergic reaction, Raducanu did not administer an antiseptic spray provided to her by someone in attendance.

Emma Raducanu, bitten by ants or mosquitoes, opted not to use antiseptic spray to avoid any potential doping risks. Preparing for the Australian Open, the Brit revealed in a press conference that she was "badly bitten" and suffered from swollen hand and ankle.

Emma Raducanu says she is not taking treatment for an insect bite over fears of ingesting a contaminated substance.

Fear of ingesting a contaminated substance led Britain's Emma Raducanu to turn down treatment for an insect bite ahead of the Australian Open which starts this weekend. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Emma Raducanu has been left with a swollen hand and ankle after being ‘badly bitten by ants’ at the 2025 Australian Open in dramatic scenes. The British tennis star, world No.60, is unseeded at Melbourne Park and is set to face Russian 26th-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round.

Raducanu said she was left with a swollen ankle and hand after the insect bites triggered an allergic reaction but the former US Open champion opted to “tough it out” because she didn’t want to risk failing a drugs test.