Emma Raducanu has revealed she was “badly bitten by ants” ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne but refused to use an antiseptic spray over concerns surrounding recent anti-doping cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.

British tennis star Emma Raducanu's preparations for the Australian Open were disrupted when she was bitten during time off from practice in Melbourne - just days out from the tournament

Emma Raducanu has become the latest victim of Australia’s famously hostile wildlife – although it was not spiders or snakes in her case, but rather “jumping ants”.

Australian Open, the first grand slam tournament of the year and the 113th running of the event, starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday with four British women, including the 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu,

Emma Raducanu faces a stern test in her Australian Open campaign, drawing 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. The former world No 10 could potentially meet No 2 seed Iga Swiatek in the third round,

Following a period of rest, though, Raducanu is now firmly focused on the Australian Open and making a positive start to the 2025 tennis season. How can I watch Australian Open te

Her failure to take to the court in Auckland means Raducanu will head into the Australian Open without any competitive action under her belt since she won three successive matches