Clara Tauson is building towards a big European summer

The clay-court season is underway but Clara Tauson is not yet part of it.

The Danish world number 18 is currently based at the Piatti Tennis Center near Monaco on the Italian Riviera working through an extended conditioning block ahead of what promises to be a packed European schedule.

Tauson pulled out of both the WTA 500 events in Linz and Stuttgart due to back inflammation and chose recovery and physical training over pushing through two more tournaments.

From the outside it might look like a setback. From inside the camp the mood is positive.

"Things are going well down at Piatti. She has decided to build in a slightly longer block of physical training during this period to get fully on top of things after the first part of the season," her father and manager Søren Tauson told TV2.

The opening months of 2026 have been physically demanding for the entire WTA Tour. Players have moved from Australia to the Middle East to Europe to California and then on to Miami in the space of roughly three months and the accumulated strain has taken its toll on several players.

"It is really taxing. And it is not just for Clara. There are many others who have had to withdraw as well. That is why she has built in this block where she is working with the physical trainer Michele who she knows from before," Søren Tauson said.

The trainer is Michele Ferella and the existing relationship between him and Tauson is one of the reasons she chose Piatti as her base for this period.

She spent considerable time there several years ago and the familiarity with both the facility and Ferella has made the current block a smooth one.

Søren Tauson explained that Tauson trained extensively at Piatti a few years ago and that the two know each other well. Clara is really enjoying the collaboration and will also bring Michele to Madrid which as a long tournament offers plenty of days for training.

On Monday Tauson posted a video on her social media showing her training in Italy confirming that she is working at full intensity.

The immediate next step is the WTA 1000 event in Madrid starting April 21 with Ferella travelling alongside the team. After Madrid the plan is to compete at the WTA 1000 in Rome running from May 5 to May 17 before the clay season culminates at the French Open starting May 24.

With Ferella involved in both Madrid and likely Rome the Tauson camp is now openly discussing making the arrangement permanent. Expanding the team with dedicated physical support on tour is firmly on the agenda.

Søren Tauson confirmed that Ferella will travel to Madrid and probably Rome as well and that expanding the team with more physical resources is firmly on the to do list and something the camp is actively working towards.

He acknowledged though that building a team around a player involves more than just finding the right professional credentials.

The chemistry away from the court matters just as much and for now it appears Tauson has found that with Ferella.