Emma Raducanu set to be handed a glorious chance to make a rankings breakthrough
Emma Raducanu will be handed a glorious chance to make a huge leap in the WTA Rankings in the opening months of 2025 – and she could be seeded for the second Grand Slam of the year.
The 2021 US Open champion is set to finish 2024 inside the top 60 of the rankings and that represents a solid comeback year after she underwent three separate surgeries last year.
Raducanu was sitting at No 285 in the world rankings this time last year, with her tentative steps back onto court in the first half this season giving her some inconsistent results that were predictable given her time away from the court.
When the 22-year-old got herself on court and had a chance to build some momentum with a run of matches, she looked a real threat to most players in the women’s game.
Her five wins playing for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup were hugely encouraging, while her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon was another big highlight.
She may reflect that there was a chance to go even further at Wimbledon, but she ended the year with quarter-final appearances in the WTA 500 events in Washington and Seoul encouraging runs.
Raducanu also made it through to the semi-finals of the grass court tournament in Nottingham and a rise of over 200 places in the rankings confirms this has been a positive year for one of the most talked about players in tennis.
Injuries have seriously hampered Raducanu this year, but she finished with three straight wins in the Billie Jean King Cup and will aim to put in a solid pre-season before starting next season with a bang.
She only had 170 points to defend in the first two months of 2025 and that ensures she will have a big chance to leap up the rankings as she returns to New Zealand to start her campaign at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand on December 30.
If she gets a good draw and plots a route through to the second week of the Australian Open, she could leap back towards the top 30 of the WTA Rankings and could even overtake Katie Boulter to become British No 1 all over again.
After turning down the chance to play in qualifying at the French Open in June, Raducanu will be given a big chance to make more rankings leaps if she qualifies for the second Grand Slam of the year and she will then hope to have another solid season on her favoured grass courts.
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Staying fit will be the key for Raducanu and she revealed last month that she is considering hiring fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who previously worked with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka.
“I think my goal next year is to stay on court longer,” said Raducanu, who had previously cited a desire to keep her team small as a reason for not hiring a full-time fitness trainer and relying on Lawn Tennis Association staff.
“This year I came to the top 60 in the world, but I played I think less than 15 events. I know if I’m on court and healthy and competing, I can go even higher and further.
“I think that my athleticism is a strength of mine, but it’s nowhere near its full potential. I’m just looking forward to exploring that further, and ready to commit to doing that.
“While it’s the end of the season for a lot of players, I feel I’m just beginning to kick-start and get things in motion, training really well, training hard, and already building towards next year. I’m not really looking to have any more time off.
“I’m just looking forward to competing here this week and taking however this goes and improving on it for next year.”
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu’s ‘realistic’ WTA Rankings target for 2025 identified by Tim Henman
