‘Relaxed’ Emma Raducanu ‘moving in the right direction’
Emma Raducanu has regained her passion for tennis with former British No 1 Laura Robson believing that is key to her continued improvement in 2026.
Following her astonishing 2021 campaign at Flushing Meadows in New York when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam after lifting the US Open trophy, Raducanu struggled in the next few years as she battled with form and injuries.
She peaked at No 10 in the WTA Rankings in 2022 on the back of her major run, but she failed to back that up and, after a string of poor results and an extended period out of the game following surgery on both her wrists and one ankle, she started the 2024 season at No 301.
Although her progress was slow and steady during the first few months, Raducanu returned to the top 100 in June and finished the year at No 56.
The 22-year-old continued her improvement in 2025 as she reached one semi-final and a couple of quarter-finals to end the campaign at No 29.
Robson says Raducanu was always go to struggle to follow up her fairytale run at the US Open, but says her on court and off court performances show she is ready for the battle.
“I can’t imagine how much pressure it felt like for a while there with everyone expecting you to have the same kind of results. It’s very, very difficult to back it up when you’re healthy, let alone somebody who’s coming back from injury woes,” she told Sky Sports Tennis.
“It’s something that we saw at the US Open. It feels like she’s a bit more relaxed. She played a bit of golf in New York and just enjoying her time on the court, which is by far the most important thing. You forget how young she is.”
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Raducanu was known for playing musical chairs with her coaching team as she went through multiple people in the past few years before settling on Nick Cavaday in 2024, but he stepped away from coaching after this year’s Australian Open in order to focus on his health.
After trialling several coaches, the British No 1 eventually turned to the experienced Francisco Roig, who was part of the great Rafael Nadal’s coaching set-up for nearly two decades.
Four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman says the Spaniard’s “huge experience” will be important to Raducanu in 2026.
“She’s moving in the right direction and I think we all would have agreed in the past she needs consistency and continuity,” he stated.
“Having [coach] Francisco Roig in her corner. They have really looked like building a good partnership and I’m excited that is continuing through into 2026. He has huge experience.”
Raducanu will start her 2026 season at the United Cup and she doesn’t have any points to defend before the Australian Open so looks set to be seeded for the season-opening Grand Slam.
