Emma Raducanu declined antiseptic spray on an insect bite in Melbourne this week for fear of violating doping rules.
Tennis players worldwide are on high alert after high-profile stars Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner recently tested positive for banned substances.
The 2021 US Open winner had an allergic reaction while preparing for the Australian Open on Thursday due to ant bites on her ankles and hands.
It caused swelling that led to a doctor consultation and a recommendation of an antiseptic spray that Raducanu declined.
The 22-year-old said she is ‘quite apprehensive’ of what she ingests the punishment for Swiatek and Sinner.
Speaking further on the matter, Raducanu said: “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board and what we use.
“Yesterday for example, I got really badly bitten by ants or something and I’m allergic, I guess.
“They flared up and swelled up really a lot. Someone was giving me this antiseptic spray to try to ease the bites. I didn’t want to take it.
“I didn’t want to spray it. I was just left there with my swollen ankle and hand and was like, ‘I’m just going to tough it out because I don’t want to risk it’.
“It’s obviously a concern on our mind. We’re all in the same boat. I think it’s just how we manage as best as we can the controllables.
“If something out of our control happens, it’s going to be a bit of a struggle to try and prove.”
Swiatek, the No.2 seed received, a one month suspension in November after taking melatonin to treat jet lag which contained traces of a banned heart medication, trimetazidine.
“It was probably the worst time in my life,” Swiatek said on Friday. “The first three weeks [after her failed test] were pretty chaotic. We just focused on finding the source.
“The fact that I had no control over this whole situation and I had no chance to avoid it made it even worse because I am a little bit of a control freak.
“Just having the feeling that everything I built can be taken away so quickly because of something you have no control over, it was pretty crazy for me.”
Men’s No1, Sinner, had ranking points and prize money earned at last year’s Indian Wells Open taken away because he ingested the banned anabolic steroid clostebol through a bare-handed massage by his physiotherapist.
He maintained his innocence – and said: “I haven’t done anything wrong. That’s why I’m still here. That’s why I’m still playing. I don’t want to respond to what Nick [Kyrgios] said or what other players say.
“I think the most important part is to have my people around me who I can trust and people who exactly know what happened. That’s it.”
The Italian now awaits a hearing date for his case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The World Anti Doping Agency has appealed the decision by an independent tribunal that Sinner bears no fault or negligence.
Despite worries of testing for banned substances, Raducanu remains focused on winning her first round match on Tuesday against No.26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The Brit has played no competitive warm-up matches after a back spasm forced her to withdraw from last week’s Auckland Classic.