Emma Raducanu discussed her careful treatment plan after getting bitten by bugs before the 2025 Australian Open.

Emma Raducanu was the only British player to draw a seed in the first round, having been pitted against Ekaterina Alexandrova in her opening match. Katie Boulter will face Rebecca Marino, while Jack Draper has been drawn against Mariano Navone.

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”.

Raducanu has been handed a difficult draw against 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who she had been due to play at Wimbledon last summer before the Russian pulled out.

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.

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.