'We make a great living ... it's not something to complain about'

British No 1 on embracing the tennis calendar, home comforts in Bromley and the joys of commuting

- Tumaini Carayol

Emma Raducanu has garnered many endorsement deals in her nascent career, but there is perhaps one elusive sponsorship that would be most pleasing to the British No 1 women's tennis player: ambassador of the London borough of Bromley.

During a roundtable discussion with tennis journalists at the end of a gruelling yet satisfying season, Raducanu is merely attempting to describe a quiet off-season spent in her family home when she finds herself delivering a sales pitch about the benefits of living in Bromley. "I'm just so settled," she says. "I've barely been in the UK this year because I've been competing so much, but I think just spending really good quality time with my parents has been so nice. I have loved just being in Bromley. It just reminds me of when I was a younger kid and it's the same bedroom, same everything.

"Bromley has some amazing speciality coffee shops now that didn't exist a few years ago. And I've been trying every new spot. It's been really nice, and obviously so much greenery, and it's been fun actually. I've been commuting on the train. So I've been part of rush hour every day, which has also been an experience. But it's like my switch off. As soon as I get on the South Western to Waterloo, I'm just like: 'My day is done now."

The inner peace and contentment that Raducanu speaks of has been hard-earned at the end of a positive if unspectacular season. The 23-year-old rose from outside the top 60 to No 29 in 2025, her highest ranking since 2022. She played more frequently than ever this year with largely consistent results.