Raducanu, who faces No. 26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the opening round, said in her pre-tournament news conference that she got “badly bitten” by ants or mosquitoes Thursday January 9. Despite suffering what she described as an allergic reaction, Raducanu did not administer an antiseptic spray provided to her by someone in attendance.

The 22-year-old British tennis star said a hand and ankle swelled up but she refused to use an antiseptic spray in case contamination led to a positive doping test.

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has said she has suffered swelling to her hand and ankles after being bitten by jumping ants in the buildup to the Australian Open.

Raducanu said she was left with a swollen ankle and hand after the insect bites triggered an allergic reaction but the former US Open champion opted to “tough it out” because she didn’t want to risk failing a drugs test.