Emma Raducanu will be playing on clay for the first time this year as she prepares for her first tournament since March, when she will face Solana Sierra or a qualifier in the second round of the Italian Open in Rome.
Raducanu will be playing in his first WTA Tour event since Indian Wells, where he extended his absence due to a viral illness.
The British number one recently withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open citing an injury to her right hand and is yet to play a single clay court swing match.
She will open the tournament against world No. 72 Solana (Argentina) or against the qualifier who received a bye in the second round.
The world number 30 is likely to face current French Open champion Coco Gauff in the third round, while Madrid Open finalist Mira Andreeva could be her highest-ranked opponent in the quarter-finals.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is in the same half of the draw as Raducanu.
The Brit had her best performance in last year’s tournament, reaching the fourth round before being knocked out by Gauff.
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Sky Sports’ Tim Henman and Martina Navratilova discuss whether Emma Raducanu needs to commit to a long-term coach and improve her physical ability off the court to reach her full potential
Raducanu spent time last week training with Andrew Richardson at the Ferrer Tennis Academy near Alicante, Spain, where he is based.
Richardson was the coach by her side nearly five years ago when she shot to fame after qualifying to win the U.S. Open title.
Since parting ways with Francisco Roig, she has worked primarily with hitting partner Alexis Kanter, although she briefly turned to Mark Petchey again for a game against Indian Wells in March.
The 23-year-old is currently preparing for her return under the guidance of her childhood coach Jane O’Donoghue in Rome.
British number three Katie Boulter will be hoping to continue her strong start to the clay court season after reaching the quarter-finals in Rouen and winning the Madrid Open.
Her opening match will be against German Eva Lys.
Cameron Norrie has made a good start to 2026 so far, reaching the third round at the Australian Open, the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and Barcelona, reclaiming the British No. 1 title and returning to the top 20.
The two-time clay court ATP titleholder will receive a bye in the first round, while Jacob Fearnley, Jan Choynski, Jack Pinnington-Jones and Billy Harris are all aiming to qualify and qualify for the main tournament.
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Highlights of the Madrid Open final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic can only meet in the final.
The Serbian will be making his first appearance since March, when he lost to Jack Draper at Indian Wells.
If Sinner wins the Foro Italico, he will join Djokovic as the only men to complete a career Golden Masters.
Djokovic, 38, has won all nine ATP Masters 1000 events twice.
When will Italian Open 2026 be held?
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2025 Italian Open Final, Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz Highlights
The women’s draw will begin on Tuesday, May 5th, while the men’s draw will begin on Wednesday, May 6th – and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Tennis.
The event will run through finals weekend on May 16th and 17th.
The daytime session starts at 10am and the evening session starts at 6pm.
Sky Sports customers will have access to over 50% more live sport this year at no extra cost, by watching the ATP and WTA Tour, live on Sky Sports, and streaming on the NOW and Sky Sports apps. Click here for more information.
