Ex-US Open Winner Refuses To Treat Insect Bites Due To Doping Fears As Jannik Sinner Case Looms Large

Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have both faced doping investigations.

Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player, who faces a tough first round match against Russian 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. "I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use," said the 22-year-old, recalling an incident on Friday.

"I got really badly bitten by, I don't know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I'm allergic, I guess.

"They flared up and swelled up really a lot. Someone was 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, like, I'm just going to tough it out because I don't want to risk it."

Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek's reputation was rocked last year when it was revealed she tested positive for a banned heart medication.