2 days Ago By Yasmin Syed
Emma Raducanu has received a reality check as she gears up for the new tennis season. The British No. 2 has already suffered a new physical setback in 2025, pulling out of her first tournament of the season with a back injury.
And Express Sport readers believe it’s the start of a difficult season for Raducanu, humbling the former US Open champion with bleak predictions for the year. Last season was all about Raducanu’s comeback from three surgeries. Twelve months ago, she returned from a lengthy injury layoff ranked outside the world’s top 300.
By the end of the year, she had climbed back into the top 60. In 2025, the Brit will be keen to push on and continue rising up the rankings, and get her hands on a long-awaited second title. Raducanu still hasn’t won lifted a trophy since her US Open triumph more than three years ago.
She’s enjoyed some deep runs at big tournaments. Last year she reached the Nottingham semi-final, four WTA Tour quarter-finals and the second week of Wimbledon . However, tennis fans aren’t convinced that Raducanu will be able to take it to the next level in 2025.
Asked whether she would win any titles this year, a staggering 73 per cent of Express Sport readers said no. Fans also have doubts about her ability to climb the rankings. 36 per cent said Raducanu would end the season ranked outside the top 50 - exactly where she is now.
There’s still some belief that she could enjoy a short rise. 31 per cent believe she will end the year ranked between 26 to 50 and 25 per cent believe she could sit between No. 11 and No.
25 in the world. Only 11 per cent are backing Raducanu to return to the top 10. She reached her career-high of No.
10 in July 2022 but dropped out a few weeks later and hasn’t been back in the upper echelons since. The current world No. 56 will have opportunities to prove her doubters wrong this year.
She only played 13 tour events in 2024 and missed significant chunks of the season. Raducanu skipped the French Open, missed qualifying at the WTA 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati, and was out injured from late September to November. If she can play during those periods in 2025, there will be chances to gain extra ranking points.
That all relies on Raducanu staying fit and healthy, and there are already concerns following her latest setback. The 22-year-old was set to start her season at the ASB Classic, her third time at the tournament. But her preparations were disrupted by a back problem before Christmas and she failed to recover in time, forcing her to withdraw from the event.
“I tried my best to be ready. I love Auckland and the fans here but unfortunately picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time,” Raducanu said. She will now head straight to the Australian Open without playing a warm-up tournament.
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