Raducanu returns on clay at the Italian Open, where the draw offers a gentle start and a sharp third-round gauge.
1 has been drawn to face Solana Sierra or a qualifier in the second round. The bigger marker sits one step beyond that: a possible third-round meeting with Coco Gauff, the reigning French Open champion. The hard news here is the draw.
72 from Argentina, or a qualifier. If the seedings hold, Gauff waits in round three. That makes Rome more than a simple return date.
It gives Raducanu a clean entry point, then a severe test against one of the sport's best clay-court players, with the French Open close enough to make every set carry meaning. Raducanu has not played a WTA Tour event since Indian Wells in March. Sky Sports says she extended her absence because of a viral illness, then withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open with a right-hand injury.
That leaves Rome as her first clay-court tournament of the season and her first competitive look since the North American hard-court swing. For a player whose schedule has so often shaped the conversation around her tennis, the Italian Open is another restart, but not an empty one. It is a measured return into a draw that can turn serious fast.
Sky Sports' projected route places Raducanu into round two after a bye, with Sierra or a qualifier first, Gauff in the third round, then Iva Jovic or Marie Bouzkova as potential fourth-round opposition. The projected quarter-final line includes Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini or Elise Mertens. Aryna Sabalenka, Amanda Anisimova, Belinda Bencic and Linda Noskova sit as possible semi-final names in that section, while the other half points toward names including Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina and Jessica Pegula.
Projections are not promises. They are the map if the seeds and matchups behave. The Gauff line matters because Rome already gave Raducanu that measurement last year.
Sky Sports notes that Raducanu produced her best run at the tournament in 2025, reaching the fourth round before Gauff knocked her out. A repeat meeting this time would arrive earlier, in round three, but with similar value as a form check. Raducanu does not need to solve her whole clay identity in one week.
She does need matches, rhythm and evidence that the body is ready to handle longer exchanges, higher bounces and the physical grind that clay demands. There is also a coaching thread. Sky Sports reports that Raducanu spent time training last week in Spain with Andrew Richardson at the Ferrer Tennis Academy near Alicante.
Richardson was with her during the 2021 US Open title run, when she won the tournament as a qualifier. Sky Sports also says she has worked mainly with hitting partner Alexis Canter since splitting with Francisco Roig, briefly turned again to Mark Petchey at Indian Wells, and is currently under the guidance of childhood coach Jane O'Donoghue in Rome. That is not a settled long-term picture, but it does show a familiar circle around her as she returns.
The British context keeps the attention high. 30 as of May 4, ahead of Sonay Kartal, Katie Boulter, Fran Jones and Harriet Dart in the national WTA order. That ranking gives her status.
It does not give her an easy clay season. Rome is a WTA-level field with top-end pressure everywhere, and the tournament lands at the exact point where players are trying to sharpen for Paris rather than simply build fitness. - Raducanu reached the fourth round in Rome last year before losing to Gauff, according to Sky Sports.
The implication is simple: Rome can reset the story around Raducanu without pretending this draw is a title forecast. A clean opening match would matter because she needs court time. A Gauff meeting would matter because it would show where her clay level sits against elite opposition.
The route is demanding, but it is also useful. It gives her a first step, then a measuring stick, then a brutal ceiling if she keeps winning. What's next: The women's draw at the Italian Open began on Tuesday, May 5, according to Sky Sports, with the event running through finals weekend on May 16 and 17.
Raducanu's immediate task is to learn whether Sierra or a qualifier comes through to face her in round two. After that, the Gauff question becomes live only if both players handle their early business. Read at Sky Sports
Raducanu still pulls attention because her tennis rarely arrives without context: injuries, coaching changes, rankings pressure and the shadow of what she has already done. Rome gives readers something concrete before the French Open. It is not a comeback epic yet. It is a draw, a return date and a possible Gauff checkpoint. That is enough, because clay has exposed and clarified players all season. For Raducanu, the week can offer rhythm, reassurance and a hard read on her level.
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