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Emma Raducanu 2025 Season Recap
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Emma Raducanu’s 2025 season was less a fairy-tale resurgence than a carefully managed reconstruction: bursts of high-quality tennis, important milestones, and, in the end, a campaign cut short by familiar physical struggles.

A Miami Breakthrough and a Warning Sign

The early months of 2025 were steady rather than spectacular, but March changed the tone. At the Miami Open, Raducanu put together her most convincing week of tennis since her 2021 US Open triumph. She worked through multiple rounds with assurance and reached her first-ever WTA 1000 quarter-final, falling to Jessica Pegula in a tight three-setter.

Her performance showed renewed clarity and calm under pressure but also exposed the lingering concern: midway through that Pegula match, Raducanu struggled with the humid conditions and required medical attention. It was the first reminder of a pattern that would resurface later in the year.

Summer Momentum and a Return to the Big Stages

Through the clay and grass seasons, Raducanu produced steady, confidence-building results. They weren’t headline-grabbing runs, but they showed she could compete across surfaces again.

Her biggest statement came in July, when she reached the semi-finals in Washington, recording one of her most encouraging performances since her comeback. She then carried that confidence into New York, where she advanced to the third round of the US Open before losing to Elena Rybakina. For the first time since 2021, she looked comfortable handling the spotlight and the physical demands of a deep Slam week.

Those results pushed her back toward the top 30, a crucial threshold for someone aiming to rebuild her seeding and re-establish consistency.

The Asian Swing Collapse and an Early End

The optimism of the summer didn’t survive the autumn. During the Asian swing, Raducanu’s physical issues resurfaced with force. She retired in Wuhan due to dizziness, then suffered a first-round exit in Ningbo after receiving treatment for back pain and blood pressure problems.

Within days, she withdrew from the rest of the season including Tokyo and Hong Kong and confirmed she was shutting things down early to protect her long-term health.

There was, however, one stabilizing note: she will continue working with coach Francisco Roig heading into 2026. That continuity, paired with the progress she made in her high points this year, gives her a realistic foundation to build from.

Raducanu’s 2025 wasn’t a full return to the elite tier, but it was meaningful. She proved she can string together quality wins, break new ground at big events, and perform under marquee pressure. The challenge now is simple but critical: manage the body, choose smarter scheduling, and convert flashes of brilliance into sustained consistency.

If she can do that, 2026 could be the year she doesn’t just rebuild — she genuinely relaunches.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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