Entertainment
Emma Raducanu on the brink of achieving her rankings goal – what comes next?
Emma Raducanu may have been forced to end her season early due to injury and illness, but the British No 1 looks set to achieve her rankings goal despite being forced to pull out of her last two tournaments.
The 22-year-old appeared to be suffering from an illness as she battled the hot conditions in the Asian swing of the WTA Tour so it was no surprise when she confirmed she would be taking a break from tennis after she lost against world No 230 Zhu Lin in Ningbo Open in China.
Despite that disappointment, Raducanu can look back on 2022 with a degree of pride as she is up to No 29 in the live WTA Rankings and looks set to head into 2026 with her target of being in the top 32 secured.
Raducanu spoke to Tennis365 at the Wuhan Open earlier this month and told us that being seeded in the opening Grand Slam of 2026 at the Australian Open is a big ambition.
“It is a target of mine, I think for the next few weeks, I think is to try and be seeded in Australia and do do my best to be in that position,” she told us.
“I think the higher you can go, the better, maybe probability you have to make progress. But even still, you can be seeded and play one of these top players who are now seeded.
“It really depends on the luck of the draw. It’s just doing the best you can in that situation, giving yourself a better chance.
“I think I’ve just been happy with the improvements in the last few weeks I’ve made in my game, and I just want to keep going with that.”
There were some threats that she could be overhauled in the top 32 of the rankings if some of her rivals had picked up positive results in the final weeks of the season, but that seems unlikely to happen now.
So Raducanu will head into 2026 with renewed ambition and she will have a chance to boost her ranking further prior to the Australian Open.
Raducanu suffered some injury issues at the start of this year and that meant she headed into the Australian Open without playing any warm-up events.
She went on to perform well in Melbourne by picking with wins against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova, who have both gone on to enjoy stellar 2025 seasons.
Raducanu has played in the WTA 250 in Auckland, New Zealand, in the past, but she may be tempted to play in the higher-ranked WTA 500 events in Perth and Brisbane ahead of the Australian Open.
If she was to win some matches in either of those events, she could push her ranking into the mid-20s by the time she gets to Melbourne for the Aussie Open.
The next time we will see Raducanu on court is likely to be at the exhibition event she has lined up for December that will also feature Carlos Alcaraz.
The duo signed up for the post-season “A Racquet at The Rock” exhibition event on Sunday, December 7 in New Jersey, United States. Frances Tiafoe will take on Alcaraz in that event, while Raducanu will play Anisimova.
They are also set to play in an event in Miami the following day, with Joao Fonseca and Anisimova also playing that event.
Entertainment
Fallon Sherrock Shines Bright Beside Her Three Gorgeous Friends — A Celebration of Beauty, Bond, and Unstoppable Energy
Entertainment
Emma Raducanu’s ex-coach joins another player’s team months after quitting role
Emma Raducanu linked up with Yutaka Nakamura at the end of last year, but their partnership soon fizzled out.
Emma Raducanu’s former fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, has officially started working with another player, this time on the men’s circuit. Raducanu announced that Nakamura had joined her team last December, and he was set to travel with her during “most weeks” of the season.
However, Nakamura has been absent from her box for most of the year, reportedly stepping back for personal reasons in the spring. Raducanu has since been working with other physios, including Daniel Pohl and Jerome Poupel. And Nakamura has now seemingly joined Grigor Dimitrov’s team, months after the Bulgarian’s heartbreaking injury retirement at Wimbledon.
Dimitrov led top seed and eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets to love in the fourth round of Wimbledon this summer when he suddenly went down in tears, picking up a pectoral injury.
The former world No. 3 received off-court treatment, but he was unable to continue and returned to the court to retire from the match. Dimitrov has since revealed that he spent two hours crying in the locker room, and he later shared a photo from the hospital.
During his injury layoff, Dimitrov’s team had a shake-up, and he parted ways with his coach, Jamie Delgado, who has since joined Jack Draper’s camp. The 34-year-old has now returned to competition at the Paris Masters with some new faces in his box.
One of them is Nakamura, who has a wealth of experience on the WTA Tour, also working with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, as well as Raducanu.
Entertainment
Novak Djokovic’s wife’s telling response to retirement as he drops Paris Masters hint
Novak Djokovic’s tennis future is rife with speculation but the superstar is seemingly no closer to calling time on his legendary career.
Novak Djokovic’s wife Jelena told her husband he wouldn’t be able to resist the lure of tennis after he sensationally threatened to quit the game – an urge she continues to be proved right about. Djokovic ultimately soldiered on to become a true sporting icon and has recently dropped a hint that he could play well into his 40s.
The former world No. 1 has won a men’s record 24 Grand Slam singles titles and is widely viewed as one of the sport’s greatest ever players. Djokovic has, however, failed to win a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open. The Serb has reached the semi-finals of all four major tournaments this year but turns 39 next year and has been plagued by injuries throughout 2025, sparking fresh suggestions that he could retire. Djokovic actually came close to calling time on his legendary tennis journey seven years ago before making a stunning resurgence. At that time, Djokovic had only secured half of his major championships haul, with a combination of recurring injuries and growing frustrations seeing him briefly turn his back on the game.
Jelena recounted the emotional chapter in a 2020 conversation, saying: “He wanted to quit. He gathered all the members of his team and told them, ‘You know what, I’m done, I’m quitting.’ We cried and told him that he couldn’t do it, that it wasn’t the right time.
“He didn’t want to play tennis, and he didn’t even want to see a ball pass in front of him.” Djokovic even alerted his sponsors that he was retiring, only for Jelena to remind him just how much tennis means to him, spurring on his U-turn.
The persuasive powers of Jelena and their children, Stefan and Tara, reignited his desire to return. “He didn’t want to know anything about it,” Jelena said. “But I love tennis and I take the kids to the court every day. On the third day, Novak arrived.
“He saw we were having fun, and it wasn’t the intense training he was accustomed to for years. Novak asked me if he could play and get a racket, but I refused.
“I started teasing him, saying he had quit and now it was our turn to play tennis. Eventually, he served and felt good, then returned daily until he finally called his coach Marian Vajda to start training again.”
-
Entertainment9 months agoFreakin’ Hot Ski Racer Lindsey Vonn Holds Second-Highest Super-G World Cup Wins
-
Entertainment10 months agoEmma Raducanu Living a Luxury Life: A Rising Star’s Glimpse into the Glamorous World
-
Entertainment9 months agoBra-less Charley Hull turns head by showing off bright red body …’
-
Entertainment9 months agoLexi Thompson Flaunts Her Athletic Physique on the Cover of Golf Magazine
-
Entertainment8 months agoCharley Hull Sizzles in Style: The Golf Queen Turning Heads On and Off the Course
-
Entertainment9 months agoPaige Spiranac posts 15 private photos: Everyone is talking about
-
Entertainment9 months ago“Lexi Thompson showcases her stunning legs in stylish outfits.”
-
Entertainment9 months agoCharley Hull Hits the Beach After a Long Day of Golfing

