As the 2026 season approaches, Emma Raducanu stands at a defining crossroads in her career. The 22-year-old Brit has endured a rollercoaster journey since her stunning 2021 US Open triumph — battling injuries, coaching changes, and the weight of expectation. Now, with a full preseason ahead and a renewed sense of focus, the question remains: what must she do to reach the next level and truly establish herself among the game’s elite?
Building a stronger and more resilient body
If Raducanu is to climb back into the world’s top 20 — and beyond — her fitness will be the foundation. Throughout 2025, she faced spells of illness and recurring physical setbacks that disrupted her rhythm. Her back, in particular, became a consistent issue toward the end of the year, prompting her to shut down her season early to rest and recover.
A leading voice in tennis analysis recently noted that her physical base remains the one area holding her back, but praised her dedication to addressing it. Raducanu has reportedly committed to a more robust training program focused on endurance and injury prevention. The goal is clear: build the durability needed to compete week after week without setbacks. By strengthening her core, improving flexibility, and balancing workload with recovery, she can finally achieve the consistency that has eluded her since 2021.
Finding stability in her coaching and support team
Equally crucial is stability behind the scenes. Since her breakthrough, Raducanu’s frequent coaching changes have been widely discussed — and have often disrupted her progress. However, she now appears settled with a long-term plan and team structure that prioritizes continuity.
Experts believe that sticking with one coach and one philosophy is vital for her growth. A stable partnership would give her the chance to develop tactical identity and refine her natural attacking style. The more she and her team understand her rhythms, the better they can prepare her for the physical and mental grind of tour life. In short, the fewer resets she makes, the faster she can evolve.
Turning potential into results
There’s no doubt Raducanu has the talent to challenge the best, but her record against top players shows there’s still work to be done. She has competed well in bursts — taking sets off Grand Slam champions and beating top-30 opponents — but sustaining that level over entire tournaments remains the next step.
What she now needs is composure in tight moments. Too often, matches that were within her reach slipped away due to lapses in focus or momentum. Developing a stronger mental edge will allow her to close out matches more decisively and translate potential into victories. The top players have the ability to reset quickly after setbacks — and Raducanu’s challenge in 2026 will be to build that same resilience.
Managing the spotlight and staying focused on tennis
Off the court, Raducanu has matured considerably. She has openly admitted that the attention and sponsorship demands that followed her US Open win once distracted her from tennis. Over the past year, she’s made a conscious effort to regain control of her schedule, learning to say “no” when needed and focusing her time on training and recovery.
That focus will be essential if she’s to rise again. The British No. 1 remains one of the sport’s most marketable stars, but she seems determined to ensure that commercial success no longer overshadows her performance goals.
Embracing the process
Raducanu’s ambitions are lofty — she has spoken about wanting to win Wimbledon and re-establish herself among the top players in the world. But to reach that level, her focus now lies in the process rather than the end result. Every step — from staying healthy to winning consecutive matches — forms part of the bigger picture.
Observers believe 2026 could be a breakout year if she remains patient and disciplined. Her game still has the explosive baseline power and quick instincts that stunned the world in New York, but now it’s about marrying that flair with experience, structure, and confidence.
The path forward
For Emma Raducanu to reach the next level in 2026, she must do five things: stay healthy, maintain team stability, sharpen her mental edge, manage her off-court balance, and focus on gradual improvement. If she can bring all those elements together, the next chapter of her career could be her most exciting yet — not just a comeback, but the evolution of a player finally ready to fulfil her immense potential.
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