Emma Raducanu’s season-ending decision will cost her in the rankings — but it also exposes deeper, more urgent questions about her body, her schedule and how she converts big moments into wins.
The British No. 1 confirmed she will step away from the closing events of the Asian swing after a run of troubling on-court health issues and a pair of agonising defeats when victory was within reach. Over the past fortnight she twice held match points — in tight three-set losses to Barbora Krejcikova and Jessica Pegula — before suffering a dramatic physical setback in Ningbo, where dizziness and a back problem forced her to withdraw. Those incidents, rather than a single bad result, have accelerated a decision that had been quietly brewing: rest, recover and regroup.
Raducanu has been explicit about her immediate goal. “My goal for the coming weeks is to try to be seeded at the Australian Open,” she said when discussing her targets for the short term, adding that she will “do everything I can to achieve that.” But that pragmatic ambition — focused on securing a top-32 seeding in Melbourne — comes at the cost of a different aspiration many had hoped would follow her breakout: an uninterrupted push back into the top 20 and beyond.
Practically, sitting out Tokyo and Hong Kong will almost certainly dent the momentum in the official rankings and in live-form indicators. Points that could have been defended or gained will not materialise, and rivals fighting for the same seeding positions will have opportunities to overtake her. Yet the real story here is less about the numbers on a leaderboard and more about what the past month revealed: worrying fragility under pressure and a body that needs better protection from the grind of the tour.
There are encouraging notes in an otherwise concerning passage of her season. Raducanu has enjoyed phases of strong form in 2025 — a solid showing at the U.S. Open, a quarter-final run in Miami, and flashes on grass and North American hard courts that reminded fans of the potential that won her a Grand Slam early in her career. Her serve has shown improvement and she remains a marquee player for British tennis. Still, a stubborn trend has persisted: difficulty closing out matches against higher-ranked opponents. The double heartbreaks against Krejcikova and Pegula were emblematic — matches in which she had opportunities but ultimately could not find the answers.
Physically, the recent events are worrying. Her retirement in Wuhan because of dizziness and the subsequent medical treatment for a back issue in Ningbo underline that this was not merely an emotional slump or a run of bad luck. Those are problems that require time and sensible scheduling, not last-minute fixes. Raducanu’s coaching situation has stabilised for now — she will continue working with Francisco Roig — but coaching continuity can only do so much if the player’s body is flagging.
What, then, are the bigger questions she must answer while she heals? First, how will she and her team restructure her calendar to protect her health without stunting opportunities to climb the rankings? Second, can she build the physical resilience to withstand long, punishing matches — especially in humid or hot conditions that exposed her recently? Third, and perhaps most crucial, how will she convert the clear talent and improved weapons into a psychological edge in tight moments? Winning points is one thing; closing out matches against seasoned top-20 opponents is another.
For the British public and her backers, there will be disappointment that Raducanu is giving up immediate chances to improve her ranking. But if this enforced break allows her to fix the root causes — load management, conditioning, and match-temperament — it could be the smarter path for sustained success. After all, being seeded in Melbourne is a sensible, measurable short-term target. The long-term objective, however, remains: turning the flashes of brilliance into a reliable week-in, week-out threat at the biggest events.
Raducanu’s immediate task is clear: rest properly, address the physical issues that have crept up, and use the off-time to sharpen the parts of her game that fail under pressure. If she does that, the ranking hit will feel temporary. If she doesn’t, the defeats that are now explained away as “health” or “fatigue” risk becoming a pattern — one that could stall what should still be a very promising career.
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