Emma Raducanu during a practice session ahead of the ASB Classic. Photo / Photosport
Emma Raducanu during a practice session ahead of the ASB Classic. Photo / Photosport
Ask Emma Raducanu about her hopes and goals for 2025 and the answer is a cautious one.
She doesn’t really know what is possible – and nor does anybody else.
That’s understandable, given the events of the past three years, where she has been one of the most enigmatic playerson the tennis circuit. Her talent and potential are undeniable but have yet to be harnessed on a consistent basis. Add in a constant run of injuries and niggles – as she adapts to the rigours of the WTA tour – and it’s a mixed recipe.
The golden glow from the young Brit’s astonishing 2021 US Open triumph will never really fade, as the first qualifier to win a major in the Open era. But that also left a burden of massive expectation and the wait for the next big Raducanu chapter goes on.
”I constantly set goals and re-evaluate but for next year my outlook and approach is genuinely just like exploring how far I can go, how much of my potential I can reach,” said Raducanu.
“I don’t think it’s like a one year – ‘yeah, I’ve hit it, you know, I’m going to hit it all this year’. [I’ve] got myself into a place where I can get into tournaments with my ranking and now it’s just about pushing on and seeing how far I can go.”
This time last year Raducanu was ranked 303, after a season disrupted by three surgeries. There were glimpses of gold here, as she was beaten by eventual finalist Elina Svitolina in a second-round thriller.
The highlight of her 2024 campaign was the grass season, with runs at Eastbourne, Nottingham and Wimbledon, where she was famously stopped by Kiwi Lulu Sun. But there were also low points, including a first-round exit in New York and a surprise loss to a qualifier in Madrid. Overall, only three other players managed bigger ranking jumps than Raducanu, despite her only featuring in 14 tournaments.
”I need to give myself a bit more credit because the second half of the year I wasn’t on court as much as a lot of others, but I still ended the year in the 50s,” said the 22-year-old. “It was a good stepping stone and this year I’m just ready to push on and build.”
Part of that plan involves a new physical trainer, with Yutaka Nakamura, the conditioning guru who previously worked with Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova, joining her team.
”He [has] amazing experience,” said Raducanu. “He’s worked with top players and he’s really built bodies up and I feel like that’s something that I need and I’m working on right now.”
Emma Raducanu practises ahead of the ASB Classic. Photo / Photosport
Her training bloc had gone well – estimating she has had only two days off since October – before a “niggle” picked up in the past fortnight, which might temper expectations this week.
”It is unfortunate because I was feeling extremely good and fit and so the last couple of weeks I’ve been lighter on the training side which isn’t necessarily something that I would wish for,” said Raducanu. “But I’m here and I’m ready to give it my best shot.”
Otherwise, Raducanu is a good place. She has been in Auckland for more than a week, including the novelty of a summer Christmas Day.
”It’s different, that’s for sure,” laughed Raducanu. “I feel like I got a good wintry Christmas in London. I was there for a few weeks in December, so I got the cold and the Christmas songs and all the lights, getting dark at 4pm.”
On her third visit to New Zealand, Raducanu feels “at home” here. She has enjoyed some beach time – including a sand session at Kohimarama beach – but it’s mainly been business, adamant she will save any exploring for after the tournament.
Her first-round match on Tuesday evening, against promising young American Robin Montgomery (No 117), won’t be straightforward. The 20-year-old looks to be a player on the rise. She reached the quarter-finals at a WTA 500 (Washington), won five matches at Wimbledon from qualifying and pushed world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set battle in Madrid.
Top seed Madison Keys (No 21) features in Tuesday’s day session, up against Italian Lucia Bronzetti (73).
Local interest will centre on wildcard Vivian Yang, who faces the battle of her life against second seed Elise Mertens (34). The 19-year-old has never faced a top-50 player before and has only twice met top-200 opposition in her short career, including an ASB Classic qualifying defeat to Sara Errani back in 2023.
Whatever happens, the teenager, currently based at Pepperdine University in the United States, has nothing to lose. “My main goal is trying to play my game regardless of who I play and if I [do] that, I think it’s a massive win for me and my team,” said Yang.
Other prominent names in action on Tuesday include third seed Amanda Anisimova (36) and former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin (81).
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.
