God. The paranoia is real. I was chatting with a fellow tennis writer last week who mentioned Emma Raducanu's growing anxiety about drug testing, and I honestly thought he was exaggerating until I heard it straight from her mouth.

The 22-year-old Brit is absolutely terrified of accidentally failing a drug test. Not because she's doing anything wrong, but because the whole system feels like a minefield of potential disasters waiting to happen.

When Your Waiter Could Ruin Your Career

Here's what's keeping Raducanu up at night: she's genuinely worried that restaurant staff might recognize her and deliberately spike her food or drinks. I mean, imagine living with that level of paranoia every time you eat out. She admitted, "We could go to a restaurant (and someone could put something in our drink). It's really hard, especially if you are noticeable and the waiter recognises you."

That sent chills down my spine.

The timing of these comments is particularly interesting, coming right as the Italian Open welcomes back world No.1 Jannik Sinner after his three-month doping ban. Sinner tested positive for clostebol (an anabolic steroid) twice back in March 2024, though he's maintained he never intentionally took anything to enhance performance.

The Medicine Cabinet Dilemma

What struck me most was Raducanu's admission that she's now refusing medications even when doctors recommend them. "I don't want to take anything even if the doctors are saying you should take this – just out of risk of contamination," she explained.

This isn't just casual concern. She's living in constant fear that even approved medications might be contaminated with banned substances. "It can show a green tick, but if it's contaminated you will still get screwed over," she said.

I remember back in 2019 when a player (who shall remain nameless) told me they'd started bringing their own sealed water bottles everywhere after a scare with a contaminated energy drink. Teh whole thing seemed paranoid then. Not anymore.

Swiatek's Shadow Looms Large

Emma's not being irrational here. Just look at what happened to five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek. The 23-year-old Polish star got hit with a one-month suspension after testing positive for trimetazidine last August during an out-of-competition sample. TMZ (not the celebrity gossip site, the drug) is no joke in anti-doping circles.

When someone of Swiatek's stature can get caught in this web, is it any wonder Raducanu's anxiety is through the roof?

Rome Calling... But Coaching Questions Remain

Meanwhile, life goes on. Raducanu, now ranked 49th in the world, is set to face a qualifier in the first round of the Italian Open on Wednesday. If she wins, she'll take on Russian 21st seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

On the coaching front, things are... complicated. She's currently working with Mark Petchey (who also commentates for Tennis Channel) and Jane O'Donoghue (who's on sabbatical from her finance job). It's a temporary solution that seems to be working for now.

"While she's not working it's nice to have her as much as possible, but she will go back to work and then I need to figure another solution out," Raducanu explained to BBC Sport.

Eight Weeks Till The Big W

With Wimbledon just two months away, Emma's focusing on evolving her game. She wants to be more aggressive, take more balls on, and dictate points more effectively. "I know I may make more errors doing that, but I'm willing to go through that," she admitted.

I watched her practice session in Rome yesterday, adn I have to say, there's definitely a new intensity to her approach. She was absolutely crushing forehands down the line – something I haven't seen from her consistently since that magical US Open run.

But behind the focused exterior is a young athlete who jumps every time a waiter approaches her table. The price of fame in modern tennis? Perhaps. But it shouldn't have to be this way.