Emma Raducanu a ‘marquee player’ and ‘worth the investment’ with ASB Classic ticket sales set to spike
Emma Raducanu will once again not spend Christmas and New Year’s Day at home in the United Kingdom as she has confirmed she will be on the other side of the world for her first tournament of the 2025 season.
The 2021 US Open will for the third consecutive year kick off her new campaign at the ASB Classic in New Zealand.
During her debut at the WTA 250 event in 2023, Raducanu reached the round of 16, but she twisted her ankle on the slippery courts during her match against Viktoria Hruncakova and was forced to retire late in the second set.
The British player was quite critical of the conditions after the incident, but returned in 2024 and once again reached the second round before losing in three sets against second seed Elina Svitolina.
Raducanu – who has played 32 top-level matches this year in another campaign that was disrupted by ill health and injuries – will again head to Auckland in late December.
ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin confirmed that negotiations with Raducanu started back in June at Wimbledon and the deal was finally signed in September.
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Despite her WTA Ranking of 58, organisers had no hesitation about bringing her back to Auckland.
“Someone like Emma will always be on top of our list, she’s a marquee player, her ranking doesn’t really matter in terms of the star power that she brings to the tournament,” Lamperin told the Herald.
“It’s an investment but it’s worth it,” he added. “We’ve seen the effect on ticket sales, every time we have announced her there is always a major spike. We have also seen the reaction from our sponsors when we are having a discussion and sharing the possibility that she might be coming.”
Raducanu – who is set to return to action at this week’s Billie Jean King Cup for Great Britain after missing the past two months due to a foot problem – is looking forward to her return to “friendly” Auckland.
“The people are very friendly and very hospitable. I always have a great time there. The weather, when it is nice, is really beautiful,” the 22-year-old said.
“One of my best friends lives in Auckland and her family do too, so I think I will be there for Christmas Day. Over the last two years, we have gone an hour north to their beach house and had a barbeque there. It is really wholesome. The quality of the meat and fish is so fresh and I am looking forward to it.”
