Emma Raducanu is set to end her season early due to illness after a fraught month in the Far East, missing tournaments in Tokyo and Hong Kong. The British No 1 has received medical attention in her last two matches, retiring injured against Ann Li in Wuhan and losing from a set up to world No 219 Zhu Lin in Ningbo. The i Paper understands she has been battling illness for the last 10 days but was determined to play through it, though brutal conditions in south-east China have not helped.
In better news, Raducanu has agreed to extend her deal with Francis Roig, Rafael Nadal’s former coach, into next season after a successful four-month trial. This stability comes after a year of coaching upheaval, including the departure of Nick Cavaday and fitness guru Yutaka Nakamura. Roig can now plan her pre-season in full, building trust with a player who values that highly.
Her difficult 2025 started with back spasms disrupting pre-season training, leading to an unprepared arrival at the Australian Open, where she suffered a chastening 6-1, 6-0 defeat to Iga Swiatek. The back issues have been a recurring theme, often requiring on-court treatment. She also endured a harrowing stalker ordeal in the Middle East, culminating in being followed by paparazzi at the airport.
Despite the turmoil, Raducanu has managed to get on court more than ever before. Her defeat to Zhu in Ningbo marked her 50th outing of the year, making 2025 her busiest professional season by 14 matches. Her 28 wins are a career high, and she has worked her way back up the world rankings from 58 to 29, becoming British No 1 again. She could feasibly be seeded at the Australian Open in January, easing her path to the second week.
Raducanu ends her season with just one semi-final appearance in Washington as her best result, and having won only two matches post-US Open. However, with a settled coach and a record number of matches played, there are enough green shoots to be optimistic going forward.
