Entertainment
Raducanu ends 2025 season prematurely following injury struggles and early Ningbo Open exit
British number one and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from her final two tournaments of the year, following consecutive first round exits in Wuhan and Ningbo. The 22-year-old has been battling with illness and injury over the past few weeks and has therefore opted to return to the UK to begin her preparations for the 2026 season with coach Roig, formerly part of Rafael Nadal’s team.
The Brit played 50 matches across the WTA tour this year, which is the most she has managed consecutively since her breakthrough 2021 campaign. She achieved 28 wins, reaching the semi-finals in Washington, the quarter finals in Miami – where she impressively beat the 8th seed Emma Navaro before losing a tight three-set match to 4th seed Pegula – and broke into the top 30 for the first time in over three years. Raducanu also went stride for stride with world number one Aryna Sabalenka on two occasions; losing 7-6, 6-4 in a tense and fiery third round matchup at Wimbledon having been a break up in both sets, before taking her all the way in Cincinnati, narrowly missing out on the fourth round after a 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 defeat.
The world number 29 has clearly struggled with the physical demands and the tricky conditions of her season, retiring whilst trailing 6-1, 4-1 in her first round match in the Wuhan Open against Ann Li.
Raducanu had her blood pressure and temperature taken during the encounter, and just a week later she required further on-court medical attention at the Ningbo Open.
Facing world No. 219 and Chinese wildcard Zhu Lin, the British number one took the opening set 6-3 before having her blood pressure and vital signs taken during the second set and was provided with food and drink by the on-court physio. Having left the court at the conclusion of the set and with the match heading to a decider, Raducanu was then hit with injury, reaching for her lower back after scampering to play a forehand, resulting in a medical timeout. However, the Brit’s sharpness and service motion had evidently been hindered by the issue, with a series of costly errors resulting in a 6-1 loss in the third and final set.
The former grand slam champion only won 51% of points off her first serve and 38% off her second serve, with Zhu choosing to extend the rallies to put as much physical strain on Raducanu as possible, leading to a rapid increase of unforced errors off the British racket, especially in the wake of the medical timeout.
It is a disappointing, premature ending to Raducanu’s season, with the British number one still seeking greater consistency in her fitness as well as her on court game.
Attention will now turn to her recovery phase as she attempts to enter the new year with freshness and renewed hunger to win her first title since her 2021 US Open triumph.
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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.”
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