Emma Raducanu wants to turn key shot ‘into a weapon’ as she targets rankings goal
Emma Raducanu has revealed she is eager to turn one of her most challenging shots into a ‘big weapon’, as she closes in on her end-of-season rankings goal.
Raducanu has set her sights on ending 2025 in the top 32 of the WTA Rankings and if she were to stay in that position in the opening weeks of the new year, it would secure her a seeded position for the Australian Open.
The improvements she has made in her game over the course of the last few months have been impressive and especially on her serve, which was a troublesome shot for her in the past.
Mark Petchey’s input seemed to have a positive impact on Raducanu’s serve after he joined her team at the Miami Open in March on a temporary basis and now she is working full-time with respected coach Francisco Roig.
Responding to questions from Tennis365 at the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open, Raducanu spoke about the evolution of her serve, as she suggested it could become her key shot.
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“I think my serving has been helping me out in some moments in matches,” she stated. “I think just being able to get a free point here and there on the serve makes a big difference. And yeah, I’m happy with the progress that I’m making.
“Being seeded for Australia is a big target for me over the next few weeks. I think the higher you can go, the better it is, but it is still down to the luck of the draw. 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.”
Raducanu went on to suggest the strength in depth in the women’s game has risen considerably since her remarkable win at the 2021 US Open, as she suggested the standards in the women’s game have jumped over the last four years.
“I feel like the depth in the game is a lot higher than when I won (US Open) in 2021. I think just everyone is a lot higher level,” she continued.
“Everyone’s physically fitter, and the ball comes faster as well. So I think it’s, it is harder now to make those big achievements and I am really happy with how I’ve been tracking in the last few months. I’m just looking forward to continuing to do my work day to day as best as I can.
“We’re at the part of the season where it’s getting a little bit harder. You know, the body starts to hurt a little bit more, and it’s a bit harder to get moving. But I feel like I can’t be the only one in that situation, so I just need to try and stay tough and mentally as well, and go for as long as I can.”
Raducanu suggested in an interview last week that her defeat against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a high-quality contest at Wimbledon was one of the best memories of her 2025 season and she clarified why that loss left a lasting mark for the right reasons.
“The atmosphere in the arena was nothing I’ve ever played in before,” she added. “I think because the roof was on, everything was amplified even more, and just the atmosphere was incredible.
“As a tennis player, I’ve actually improved in the last few months. I think for sure, like for highlights of matches played in terms of atmosphere, that’s one.”
Raducanu will back up her appearance in Wuhan this week with two more tournaments in Asia and by the end of this month, she could comfortably achieve that rankings goal.
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