Emma Raducanu ‘bitten by ants’ with her hand and ankle swollen at Australian Open
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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.
![[Mandatory Credit: Photo by Rachel Bach/Shutterstock (15078714o) Emma Raducanu of Great Britain hits a forehand during a practice session Australian Open, Tuesday Previews, Tennis, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - 07 Jan 2025]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235224376-70e4.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Raducanu’s preparations for the first major tournament of the year have not been ideal, with a ‘back niggle’ ruling her out of the recent ASB Classic. The 22-year-old has now been attacked by insects – and decided not to use an antiseptic spray – because she didn’t want to risk failing a drugs test.
![[2025 Australian Open Previews]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2192561959.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take onboard, and what we use,’ Raducanu said ahead of her opening match Down Under. ‘Yesterday, for example, I got really badly bitten by like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess.
‘They flared up and swelled up really a lot. Someone was, like, 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 like 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.’.
