Emma Raducanu injury update emerges as she shares practice session footage ahead of Australian Open

Emma Raducanu has already had her 2025 season disrupted by injury, with the Briton having withdrawn from the ASB Classic.

Naomi Osaka lost the ASB Classic final to Clara Tauson, a competition which Raducanu had planned to compete in to kickstart her WTA season.

Both Raducanu and Osaka rose the WTA rankings in 2024, having enjoyed a handful of impressive results.

But Raducanu missed the ASB Classic with a back injury, while Osaka retired hurt in the final with an abdominal problem.

Both players will be desperate to recover in time for the Australian Open, which gets underway in Melbourne later this month.

Emma Raducanu injury update emerges ahead of Australian Open

Fortunately, Raducanu is now back on the court, with the former British number one resharing footage of her in a practice session in Melbourne on her Instagram story.

The 2021 US Open champion can be seen serving at a high intensity and smashing a forehand effort before returning to the baseline.

Her fellow WTA ace Caroline Garcia then shared an image of the duo on her Instagram story, having taken part in a practice session together.

“Great practice with Emma Raducanu,” commented world number 58 Garcia. “Wishing you a great season.”

Caroline Wozniacki among notable Australian Open withdrawals

An Australian Open withdrawal will be the last thing Raducanu wants and indeed needs at this stage of her career.

The former WTA number 10 has had a simply horrible time with injuries over the years despite being only 22.

It is clear how much ability and potential she has, with a clean run simply required in order for Raducanu to build momentum and start winning titles.

The Australian Open meanwhile would be suffering a huge blow if she did fail to recover in time and feature at the Grand Slam.

Plenty of star names have already taken that decision, with Caroline Wozniacki pulling out of the Australian Open alongside Barbora Krejcikova, Karolina Pliskova and Martina Trevisan.

Simona Halep meanwhile has withdrawn from qualification after being handed a wildcard for the tournament.

A respected voice in the tennis world believes “it is only a matter of time” before Emma Raducanu climbs up the rankings, but he acknowledges there is one “big question” mark if she is to enjoy a “big year”.

Sky Sports Tennis commentator Jonathan Overend feels Raducanu “made huge strides last year” and she will reap the rewards in 2025.

Following an injury-disrupted 2023 campaign during which she played only 10 matches after undergoing surgery on both her wrists and one ankle, Raducanu started the 2024 campaign at No 301 in the world.

She made a sluggish start to the season, but found some form during the grass-court swing as she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and semi-final at Nottingham.

Raducanu returned to the top 100 after Wimbledon and eventually finished the year at No 57, but she has since slipped to No 60 after missing the 2025 season-opening ASB Classic due to injury.

But there have been a lot of promising signs 22-year-old on and off the court over the past 12 months. The 2021 US Open winner hired renowned fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura ahead of 2025 and he joins her coaching team alongside Nick Cavaday, who teamed up with her at the start of the last year.

Overend says Raducanu has the perfect set-up.

“Yutaka Nakamura is a very experienced fitness trainer on the tennis circuit, worked for many years with Maria Sharapova,” he told Sky Sports Tennis.

“I think he is exactly the right sort of person for Raducanu to have at her side alongside her coach Nick Cavaday, who has been doing excellent work with her over the last year or so.”

Emma Raducanu News

There is no doubt that Raducanu – who peaked at No 10 after winning the US Open – will surge up the rankings, but Overend admits she will need to stay fit in order to fulfil her potential.

He added: “The thing with Raducanu is she is 60 in the world having made huge strides last year and having played just slightly over 10 tournaments, I think it was 13 events.

“To get to that number playing relatively few tournaments is quite an achievement in itself so I think it is only a matter of time before Raducanu gets back inside the world’s top 50. Then it is about how many of the big tournaments she can pull out big results in because that is really where the big ranking points are available at.

“As we know from her exploits at the US Open in 2021, when she famously won it as a qualifier without dropping a set, she has that ability on her day to beat the very best.

“If she can stay fit, that really is the big question. Now with this established, settled team around her, I think 2025 could be a big year for Emma Raducanu.”

Emma Raducanu has added a tournament to her 2025 calendar after being forced to delay the start of her season due to an injury setback.

The 22-year-old has confirmed her participation in the Singapore Tennis Open, a WTA 250 event scheduled to run from January 27 to February 2, just a week after the conclusion of the Australian Open. This decision marks a significant step in the British tennis star’s efforts to play a more consistent schedule in the upcoming season, following a limited campaign of just 13 tournaments in 2024.

The Singapore Tennis Open, set to take place on the indoor hard courts of the Kallang Tennis Hub, replaces the Thailand Open in Hua Hin. This event also marks the return of top-level women’s tennis to Singapore for the first time since the WTA Finals were held there from 2014 to 2018. Previously, Singapore hosted a WTA Tour event six times between 1986 and 1994. Raducanu will join an impressive field, including world No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, Elise Mertens, and rising star Wang Xinyu.

Laura Ceccarelli, co-tournament director, expressed her excitement about Raducanu’s participation:

“The player field is looking good for the tournament, and I believe we are going to see some great matches in both singles and doubles.“

Emma Raducanu’s Developments in 2025

Raducanu was originally set to kick off her season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, but a back injury forced her to withdraw from the ATP 250 event. She will now make her season debut at the 2025 Australian Open, scheduled from January 12 to 26. This marks her return to Grand Slam competition after a challenging period marred by injuries.

The Brit last competed at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November, where she delivered an impressive performance, winning all three of her matches as Great Britain reached the semi-finals. However, she has not played a WTA Tour event since the Korea Open in September 2024, where an injury forced her withdrawal and subsequent absence from five scheduled tournaments in the Asian swing.

Raducanu’s commitment to a fuller schedule in 2025 is highlighted by her recent appointment of renowned fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who has previously worked with tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka. Nakamura’s expertise is expected to address the 22-year-old’s ongoing physical struggles and improve her durability on the tour.

Emma Raducanu is gearing up for a pivotal 2025 season after an injury setback delayed her start to the year. The 22-year-old Brit, currently ranked world No. 56, has announced her participation in the Singapore Tennis Open, a WTA 250 event set to take place from January 27 to February 2, marking the return of top-tier women’s tennis to Singapore for the first time since 2018.

A Welcome Return to the Tour

Raducanu was originally slated to begin her season at the ASB Classic in Auckland but withdrew due to a back injury. The setback also limited her participation in late 2024, as she pulled out of multiple events following a Seoul injury during the Asian swing.

“Tried my best to be ready,” Raducanu told the WTA. “I love Auckland and the fans here but unfortunately picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time.”

Now, the Singapore Tennis Open provides her with a fresh opportunity to jumpstart her campaign after the Australian Open, where she is expected to make her season debut.

Raducanu will face stiff competition in Singapore, with world No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, Elise Mertens, and Wang Xinyu among the notable names on the entry list. The tournament, staged at the Kallang Tennis Hub, replaces the Thailand Open and promises a strong player field, according to co-tournament director Laura Ceccarelli.

“The player field is looking good for the tournament, and I believe we are going to see some great matches in both singles and doubles,” Ceccarelli stated.

A Focus on Fitness and Longevity

Raducanu’s injury history has been a recurring theme since her meteoric rise to win the 2021 US Open. To address her physical challenges, she has brought on renowned trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who has worked with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, to enhance her athleticism and durability.

Speaking at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga last November, Raducanu outlined her commitment to staying healthy and on court for longer stretches.

“I think my goal next year is to stay on court longer,” she explained. “This year I came to top 60 in the world, but I played I think less than 15 events. I know if I’m on court and healthy and competing, I can go even higher and further.”

Raducanu also highlighted her athleticism as an area with untapped potential, adding:

“It’s nowhere near its full potential. I’m just looking forward to exploring that further, and ready to commit to doing that.”

Aiming for a Breakthrough in 2025

Raducanu enters 2025 with the aim of building consistency and climbing back up the rankings. Her participation in the Singapore Tennis Open, along with a renewed focus on fitness, reflects a strategic approach to managing her schedule and maximizing her performance.

The Brit’s last WTA semifinal appearance was in Seoul in 2022, and a strong showing in Singapore could signal her resurgence as a serious contender on the tour.

Emma Raducanu delivers philosophical injury update ahead of Australian Open

Concerns about Emma Raducanu’s readiness for the Australian Open have been partly assuaged by social-media images of an intense training session in Melbourne.

Raducanu had planned to be participating in the Auckland Open this week, only to withdraw on the eve of the tournament on account of the niggling back trouble that had dogged her off-season.

But she was pictured moving freely on one of Melbourne’s blue practice courts in a hitting session with her close friend Fran Jones, the British No 5.

In a separate series of images, Raducanu is shown hurling a medicine ball into the floor in an exercise that was presumably prescribed by her new fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura.

Since joining the Raducanu camp for the first time in November, Nakamura – who supervised Maria Sharapova’s training regime for eight years – has been trying to improve his new charge’s patchy fitness record. But the recent issues with Raducanu’s back have underlined how much work still needs to be done.

Raducanu labelled her latest Instagram photo-dump with the caption “being grateful for health & channelling into growth”. She also attached an image of a WhatsApp message that read: “It’s funny you forget how much for granted you take being fit is & only remember when you’re on the sidelines again.”

While Raducanu’s non-appearance in Auckland was not a significant disappointment, given the fact that it is only a 250-point event with a modest field, the Australian Open is one of the four most prestigious events of the year.

Starting on Jan 12, the first major of the season will bring the world’s best players together in pursuit of a first prize approaching £2 million, not to mention the 2,000 rankings points – enough to put the winner on the verge of the world’s top 20 even if they did not play another event all year.

The British No 1, Katie Boulter, should go into Melbourne with some confidence after scoring two dominant victories at the United Cup in Sydney over the past few days.

Having defeated Nadia Podoroska of Argentina and Australia’s Olivia Gadecki, both in straight sets, Boulter went up against world No 2 Iga Swiatek on Thursday and pushed her all the way in a narrow 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 defeat.

With Hubert Hurkacz also defeating Billy Harris in the men’s match, Great Britain were eliminated by Poland at the quarter-final stage.

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from this week’s WTA event in Auckland because of a back problem.

The 22-year-old was due to play Robin Montgomery of the United States in the first round of the ASB Classic on Tuesday.

Raducanu will now fly to Melbourne to continue her preparations for the Australian Open, which begins on 12 January.

“Tried my best to be ready,” she said. “I love Auckland and the fans here, but unfortunately I picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time.”

The 2021 US Open champion sprained ligaments in her foot in Seoul in September and could only play three further matches last season.

She won them all, on national duty for Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but will now head into the first Grand Slam of the season with no match practice.

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu pulled out of the Auckland Classic on Tuesday with a “back niggle” in a blow to her Australian Open preparations.

Britain’s Raducanu will now fly to Melbourne to begin rehabilitation ahead of the year’s first major starting on January 12.

The 22-year-old has suffered a series of injuries since bursting onto the scene with her New York triumph in 2021.

“I’ve tried my best to be ready. I love Auckland and the fans here,” the 56th -ranked Raducanu said. “But unfortunately I’ve picked up a back niggle and I won’t be ready in time.”

Raducanu is travelling with renowned fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura in an attempt to better withstand the rigours of professional tennis.

Emma Raducanu has been forced to withdraw from the Auckland Open after suffering a back injury.

The 22-year-old, who was seeded sixth in New Zealand, has begun her season in a frustratingly familiar manner after spending much of the past few years with various injuries, including her wrists, ankles and back.

The Briton was set to face American Robin Montgomery in the first round of the ASB Classic on Tuesday but was forced to withdraw due to back pain that has hindered her off-season preparations.

“Tried my best to be ready,” Raducanu said. “I love Auckland and the fans here, but unfortunately I picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time.”

Raducanu is still set to travel to Melbourne to continue her preparations for the Australian Open, which begins on Jan. 12. She will not be seeded for the tournament.

The former U.S. Open winner has hired fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura in hopes to regain full fitness in the 2025 season.

“I just needed a more tailored approach and I needed someone more dedicated to me alone as an individual and I’m looking forward to what comes with this,” Raducanu said earlier this month.

“It definitely adds another dimension to the way me and [coach] Nick [Cavaday] work.”

Emma Raducanu now knows who her first opponent of the 2025 season will be.

The Brit endured another frustrating campaign in 2024, as she was once again blighted by injuries following her return after ankle and double wrist surgery.

Despite her fitness issues and lack of matches played, the 22-year-old was still able to climb back into the top 60 after starting the year ranked outside the top 300.

Now heading into 2025 following some promising performances at the Billie Jean King Cup and adding fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura to her team, Raducanu feels fresh and motivated ahead of Auckland’s ASB Classic.

Who will Emma Raducanu play at the Auckland Open?

Emma Raducanu returns to Auckland to commence her season for the third year in a row.

The British player has been placed in the top half of the draw, which includes top seed Madison Keys and Lulu Sun, who beat the 2021 US Open winner at Wimbledon.

The tournament will begin on December 30, and Raducanu’s first opponent will be America’s Robin Montgomery.

The pair have yet to play against one another, and it is sure to be a fascinating contest with two of the brightest young talents on the WTA Tour.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka is also in the draw, and is playing in Auckland for the first time since 2017. She will start her campaign against a qualifier.

What is Emma raducanu’s record at Auckland’s ASB Classic?

Raducanu has played at the ASB CLassic in both 2023 and 2024 and reached the last 16 on both occasions.

In 2023 she was forced to retire from the contest against Viktória Hrunčáková with the score locked at one set apiece. The following year she lost a three-set battle against Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Elina Svitolina.

Speaking about Raducanu’s return to Auckland in 2025 , tournament director Nicolas Lamperin told the New Zealand Herald: “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.

“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. She sells tickets and fans want to see her. She has a special relationship with Auckland and New Zealand.”

Emma Raducanu is rewriting her story once again. At 22, the former US Open champion is determined to shake off the ghosts of her stop-start career by teaming up with renowned fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura. Known for his work with Grand Slam winners Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka. Nakamura’s appointment signals a fresh attempt to transform Raducanu’s physical durability—a critical element she admits has yet to reach its potential.

Since her magical fortnight at Flushing Meadows in 2021, Raducanu’s career has been marked as much by her promise as by persistent injuries. Wrist and ankle surgeries sidelined her for most of 2023, but her struggles with fitness stretch back even further

This new partnership could be her ticket to staying healthy and becoming one of tennis’ most formidable athletes. “I think I can become one of the best athletes out there in tennis, and I’m just looking forward to seeing how much I can do,” she declared recently.

Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world, and fans look forward to seeing Raducanu’s next move. As it were, high-profile tennis tournaments have always been a hit with sport bettors, especially global events such as Wimbledon. Although Raducanu isn’t currently a favorite for the 2025 event, with odds of 50/1 according to Crypto Betting Limited, however, special bonuses and promotions are available during big tournaments that can help fans get better value for money. And when it comes to crypto, you can enjoy anonymity, security, and fast transactions.

Perhaps the Brit’s odds will shorten by the time the event comes around, thanks to the new trainer.

Indeed, for Raducanu, the choice of Nakamura is more than just a desire to overcome physical setbacks—it’s a strategic move. Historically, her career has been riddled with rapid transitions between coaches and training methodologies. Yet, her collaboration with Nakamura comes with an unusual commitment: he’ll be by her side for “pretty much most weeks of the year,” a rarity in her typically short-lived coaching partnerships.

Raducanu’s rise from a virtually unknown teenager to a Grand Slam champion was meteoric. Winning ten consecutive matches at the US Open without dropping a set catapulted her to global stardom. It also set sky-high expectations, leaving little room for the growing pains often accompanying young athletes. The whirlwind of sponsorship deals and media attention gave her incredible off-court opportunities. Still, the lack of a stable foundation in her game has become increasingly evident as injuries and inconsistent results have taken their toll.

Nakamura enters a challenging but exciting dynamic. Raducanu’s independence and intellectual curiosity are well-known, but they’ve also been sources of friction in her past coaching relationships. In her words, she’s often parted ways with coaches who couldn’t keep up with her relentless questions.

As much as her physical state needs attention, Raducanu’s ability to trust and stick with a plan may be just as crucial to her future success. Her decision to revisit childhood coach Nick Cavaday after several short-lived partnerships suggests a yearning for familiarity and stability. This sense of returning to her roots might counter her high expectations and restless ambition.

Even so, there’s no denying the pressure Raducanu faces. The rare achievement of winning a major as a teenager has given her enormous latitude, but it has also been a double-edged sword. Critics point out the dissonance between her aspirations of becoming the “best athlete out there” and her inability to string together an entire season without setbacks. For now, however, Raducanu remains focused on putting in the work.