Emma Raducanu WITHDRAWS from the French Open to focus on training to give herself “a chance to stay fit for the rest of the year” – having just returned from an eight-month absence in January

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from next week’s French Open, citing a desire to focus on training to “give myself a chance to stay in shape for the rest of the year”.

The 21-year-old narrowly missed out on automatic entry into Paris, but was expected on Monday to attempt to force her way through qualifying, as she did for her 2021 US Open title.

But Raducanu’s name was removed from the entry list on Sunday morning and she later explained: “It is important for me to continue laying the foundations and I will use the time to make a healthy block before the turf and the next seasons on hard court to give myself a chance to stay in shape for the rest of the year.

Raducanu has struggled since her fairytale run in New York and only returned in January after eight months out following ankle and wrist surgeries.

His withdrawal is a lackluster end to a clay-court season that started promisingly for Raducanu, with four fine victories on the bounce across the Billie Jean King Cup and Porsche Grand Prix. Then came a first-round defeat in Madrid last month, after which she declared herself “mentally and emotionally exhausted.” She has not been seen since.

Emma Raducanu likely to miss Roland Garros after withdrawing from qualifying

She is counting on the withdrawal of three players before Monday to automatically access the draw.

Raducanu knows his body and mind better than anyone, but it’s an old sporting adage that the only way to prepare for the rigors of matches is to play the matches themselves.

It is to be hoped that she does not make the mistake of giving too much priority to the grass season, with too many British players over the years guilty of putting all their strawberries in one basket.

Raducanu has not yet confirmed her schedule, but she will likely compete in the Rothesay Open in Nottingham, which begins on June 8.

If she has an exceptional season at home – she certainly has the capability – then she and her team would feel justified in skipping Roland Garros.

One of the British players who will be in Paris is Andy Murray, who begins his campaign at the Geneva Open on Monday. If the 37-year-old manages to get past Yannick Hanfmann – which is very far from certain – he would set up a reunion with his old enemy and world number 1 Novak Djokovic in the second round.

This week, Raducanu claimed that women’s tennis stars are “technically better” than male players.

The 21-year-old Briton believes female players were underestimated and attacks the gender pay gap.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the sixth Masters title of his career with a supreme serving performance against unlikely Chilean finalist Nicolas Jarry.

The German hit 80 percent of his first serves and won 95 percent of those points in a 6-4, 7-5 victory. He is back at world number 4 and it is his first major title since suffering a horrific ankle injury at the 2022 French Open.

With doubts over the form or fitness of world top three Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, this victory places Zverev firmly in the category of possible winners at Roland Garros.

Any run for the title in Paris, however, would take place in the shadows, with Zverev’s hearing into domestic violence allegations set to begin on May 31, the sixth day of the tournament.

Raducanu won the US Open in remarkable fashion when she was just 18 in 2021

In November, he was fined and fined by a German court after being accused of physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

The 27-year-old man denies the accusations and filed an objection to the order, leading to this hearing.