British No. 1 Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from her two upcoming exhibition appearances in America in December due to a bone bruise on her heel.
The 23-year-old, who celebrated her birthday last Thursday, was due to play singles against world No. 4 Amanda Anisimova on December 7 and 8, and mixed doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz in New Jersey and Miami, and has now been replaced by fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula.
Raducanu ended her season prematurely last month by withdrawing from her final two scheduled tournaments due to a back injury and an undisclosed health issue, leading to blood pressure checks during two separate matches.
However, according to her management team, Raducanu’s latest injury will not affect her preparations for the upcoming season, and she still plans to travel to Barcelona for a training block with her coach, Francis Roig.
The Spaniard’s contract, which started last August and ran until the end of this season, has been extended until next year, while it was announced on Monday that Raducanu has hired a new physio in Emma Stewart, a veteran trainer who helped the British rowing team to eight medals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and has also worked with the WTA and LTA.
Stewart, who left British Rowing a month ago, is expected to compete alongside Raducanu in tour events next season, serving in a dual role that includes physiotherapy and fitness training.
Last season, Raducanu enjoyed the support of Jane O’Donoghue, a former LTA coach, who now works in the financial sector in the City, and took a 12-month sabbatical from her job at the Bank of Canada to travel with the Briton.
Raducanu considers O’Donoghue an older sister, but the 42-year-old is not expected to be available for that many weeks in 2026, so a female physio in the predominantly male team is likely to be a welcome addition.
With Roig, Rafael Nadal’s former coaching assistant, at her side, Raducanu is building to a successful 2025 that saw her increase her ranking from No. 56 to No. 29, meaning she should start next season as a seed at January’s Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on Jan. 18.
Raducanu is also preparing to represent Great Britain alongside Jack Draper at the United Cup in the first week of the new year, when Team GB will play Japan and Greece in the group stages in Perth.
Having taken some time off before returning to training at the LTA’s National Tennis Center in Roehampton, south-west London, Raducanu’s decision to withdraw from the two unofficial matches is a precautionary measure, but one that is likely to have cost her around £500,000 in estimated appearances.
Instead, the 2021 US Open champion will now focus on her extended training block before traveling to Australia in late December ahead of the United Cup mixed event, which starts on January 2.
Raducanu has recently used her time away from competition to observe rugby union up close. She attended the men’s training camp in England as a guest of the head coach, Steve Borthwick, before watching England record their first home win over New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday since 2012.
Emma Raducanu and actor Simone Ashley celebrate from the stands following England’s victory during the Quilter Nations Series 2025 rugby international match between England and New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on Saturday
© Carl Recine/Getty Images
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