Raducanu says top players ‘really lock in’ against her after Rybakina loss
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Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from two upcoming exhibition matches in the United States next month due to a minor foot injury, choosing instead to focus on returning to peak fitness ahead of the 2026 season.
The British No. 1 has been diagnosed with light bone bruising in her right foot, according to the Press Association, but she remains able to train and is set to travel to Barcelona for a pre-season training block.
The 23-year-old was scheduled to face Amanda Anisimova in Newark and Miami, but promoters have confirmed that world No. 6 Jessica Pegula will step in as her replacement.
Raducanu’s preparations for next season will be overseen in Spain by coach Francisco Roig, who began working with her in August and is best known as the long-term coach of Rafael Nadal.
Former US Open champion Raducanu has spent part of this month training at the National Tennis Centre in London, and the cancellation of the exhibitions allows her to focus fully on the overseas camp while reducing strain on her foot.
Raducanu is expected to be seeded at the Australian Open
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She ended her 2025 season prematurely in mid-October after physical struggles in China forced her to retire against Ann Li in Wuhan, and later competed at the Ningbo Open while clearly not at full strength.
The 2021 Flushing Meadows champion also has a new physiotherapist, Emma Stewart, formerly of the WTA Tour and currently with the men’s squad at British Rowing. Stewart will oversee Raducanu’s strength and conditioning programme and travel to select events next year.
Raducanu is preparing to represent Great Britain alongside Jack Draper at the United Cup in early January, with group-stage matches against Japan and Greece in Perth, including a potential singles clash with fellow Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Ranked world No. 29, she is on track to be seeded for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 18, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Despite illness forcing her to miss the final two events of the 2025 campaign, Raducanu still notched a career-high 28 tour-level wins, climbing from outside the top 300 at the start of 2024 to inside the top 30 by the end of 2025.
Raducanu spent last week at Pennyhill Park
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Off the court, Raducanu continues to explore cross-sport experiences.
She recently visited the England rugby camp ahead of their Quilter Nations Series clash against New Zealand, watching training at Pennyhill Park, speaking with captain Maro Itoje, receiving kicking tips from Marcus Smith, and even participating in a line-out.
Her invitation to the camp highlights head coach Steve Borthwick’s approach of integrating elite athletes from other disciplines to inspire his squad.
“It’s just great having people, elite sports people, come and visit us,” Borthwick said.
“Emma was talking to the players and sharing her experiences about preparing for the elite level of competition, which is terrific.
“People like her are always very welcome because we learn a lot from the players and enjoy learning from others’ experience.”
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