Raducanu's season ends early with two main regrets

The British No 1’s record against top-10 opponents and a difficult Asian swing come amid a generally positive season and news of coaching continuity

- Jamie Braidwood

Emma Raducanu has brought an early end to her season and now faces an anxious wait to see if she has done enough to earn a seeding at the Australian Open in January. It rather sums up Raducanu's year that a generally positive season ends on a downward note, with the 22-year-old opting to pull out of her two final events in Tokyo and Hong Kong as a result of the physical struggles she encountered in China.

There was, however, a positive for Raducanu with the confirmation that she will continue her coaching partnership with Francisco Roig, and there is plenty for the British No 1 to build on going into 2026. For a start, after two injury-disrupted years in 2023 and 2024, Raducanu’s body mostly held up to the demands of a full season in 2025. She played a career-high 50 matches in the year and entered all of the top 15 tournaments on the calendar, the four grand slams and the 11 WTA 1000 events, for the first time.

There are signs that she has rectified issues with her scheduling and found consistency in life on tour. It wasn’t until the very end of the year, amid brutally hot and humid conditions in China, that Raducanu toiled physically and was forced to retire from her match against Ann Li in Wuhan. The decision to end her season early to focus on recovery appears to be a wise one after also struggling in her first-round defeat at the Ningbo Open.