Emma Raducanu reveals why she was 'scared' during her initial doping tests: "They penalize you pretty badly"

Emma Raducanu recently recounted the first few instances where she had to give her blood sample very early in the morning as part of a mandatory doping test. The Briton claimed that in case a player misses the appointment, the penalty levied on them can be hefty.

Raducanu had initially struggled to get her 2025 WTA Tour season off the blocks, having lost six of her first nine matches of the year. The 22-year-old has made plenty of amends since then, though, reaching the quarterfinals at the Miami Open and the fourth round at the Italian Open.

Speaking to British media ahead of her French Open campaign, the World No. 41 spoke about the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, according to which all ATP and WTA pros are to be tested regularly for banned substances. The 2021 US Open winner's initial experience with the programme was not ideal by her own admission, as she would be forced to wake up early in the morning for the authorities to take her blood sample.

Furthermore, Emma Raducanu stated that the players are penalized heavily if they fail to turn up for a doping test. She said (via The Telegraph)

"Sometimes it feels like Pin the Donkey because at 6am you’re not very hydrated. It’s like you can’t get any blood out, and they have however many attempts. That’s a bit difficult, but I think we all have to go through it," Emma Raducanu told the Telegraph recently. "It’s not the most enjoyable thing, but it’s just part of what we have to do."

"I was very scared the first few times, but you obviously don’t have a choice. They penalise you if you don’t do it pretty badly, so I kind of built up my tolerance that way," she added.

For those unaware, former top-50 ATP singles players Jenson Brooksby and Mikael Ymer previously faced long doping bans after missing three tests in 2023 and 2021, respectively.

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Emma Raducanu on overcoming her fear of needles: "Kind of dipping my toes into it because I know it helps"

During the interaction, Emma Raducanu also touched upon how she had recently taken to needle therapy to treat her back niggles. The former World No. 10 was unable to practice for a few weeks during last year's off-season due to a spasm and has since incorporated dry needling into her physiotherapy regime. Although the Briton had a phobia of needles initially, she has persisted with them because they help relieve pain.

"I’m trying to do everything to get up to speed as fast as possible. I would say the one before Australia was worse," Emma Raducanu said. "At the start of the year I was so scared of needles. It was my biggest phobia. That was the only way I was going to be able to play Australia. So since then, I’ve been kind of dipping my toes into it because I know it helps, even though I’m really scared of them."

Raducanu will be unseeded at the 2025 French Open during the next fortnight and is set to face China's Wang Xinyu in the first round of the tournament.