Emma Raducanu withdraws from French Open qualifiers

Emma Raducanu withdrew Sunday from qualifiers for the French Open, apparently choosing to focus on preparation for the grass-court season and participation at Wimbledon in her home country.

The 21-year-old Brit, ranked No. 212 in the world, did not automatically qualify for the main draw at Roland Garros in Paris. She has one WTA win -- the 2021 U.S. Open -- but sat out the final eight months of last season due to injuries. She last competed in Paris in 2022.

More recently, she lost to qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina in the first round at the Mutua Madrid Open last month and to top seed Iga Swiatek of Poland in the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, both clay-court events.

The draw for the qualifiers is set for Sunday night.

"It's important for me to keep laying on the foundations and I will use the time to do a healthy block before the grass and subsequent hard court seasons to give myself a chance to keep fit for the rest of the year," she said in a statement issued to British media.