Emma Raducanu has been tipped to mount an impressive comeback in 2025 after making a significant change to her Christmas routine.
The young Brit rose to global stardom when she achieved US Open glory three years ago, becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open era. Since then, injuries have taken their toll and she is no longer among the world’s top players.
Raducanu will be targeting an injury-free year in 2025 and is already taking measures to ensure she gets off to a strong start.
She is spending Christmas in Australia to get ready for the new campaign, which kicks off at the Auckland Open later this month. She has also hired a new fitness coach, with Yutaka Nakamura joining her team.
It remains to be seen how Raducanu will fare in 2025 but Eurosport pundits Mats Wilander and Laura Robson are expecting big things.
Asked to name the player he believes will mount the ‘biggest comeback’, Wijlander said: “Emma Raducanu. I’m hoping and praying that she can be the comeback player of the year.” Robson, meanwhile, added: “Why not Emma for 2025?”
Raducanu won 21 of her 34 matches in 2024 and will head into the new campaign with plenty of optimism. Only time will tell if she can restore former glories by adding to her Grand Slam tally in the not-too-distant future.
She recently suggested that she was confident of returning to her former levels, saying: “Mentally I feel like I am in a better place to compete now than I ever have been before since the US Open.
“It’s going to probably take me some tournaments to get up to speed but once I do, I think I am in a better headspace to compete now.”
Reflecting on the addition of Nakamura to her coaching team earlier this month, Raducanu explained: “I want to play more than I did this year. I think now I’m in a place where I can continue to work on the road.
“I don’t necessarily need to come back to continue good physical work. I can do it pretty much every day, like microdoses, and I think that’s actually going to be a great addition for me next year which I’m excited about.
“Also, with my tennis, I’m in a pretty good spot. I feel like I just want to see how much I can do, fulfil my potential. I’m curious about what my level can get to. I really want to play more and I think a big part of that is just staying healthy.”
