Doping fears have become nightmarish for tennis players across the world nowadays. The reflection was seen. Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu avoided treating even insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open! 

Raducanu explained that, with players increasingly suspicious about ingesting contaminated substances, she would not undergo any treatment, even insect bites! 

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 insects. It may be ants, mosquitoes, or something else. I am allergic, I guess. They flared up and swelled up really a lot. Someone was giving me a natural antiseptic spray to try to ease the bites. But I refused to take it, especially the spray because I did not want to take any risk,” explained Raducanu.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek's reputation was rocked last year when it was revealed she tested positive for a banned heart medication. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that the violation was not intentional, and the Polish star escaped with a one-month sanction.

Her case followed defending Australian Open champion Sinner who tested positive twice for traces of the steroid Clostebol in March.

Significantly, uncertainty looms large over Jannik Sinner's participation in the Australian Open due to an ongoing doping investigation.