Emma Raducanu’s 2025 season may have ended earlier than planned due to illness and injury, but the British No. 1 still appears on track to achieve her year-end ranking target. The 22-year-old, who struggled with illness during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing, was visibly unwell in the hot conditions before eventually losing to world No. 230 Zhu Lin at the Ningbo Open in China. Soon after, Raducanu confirmed she would take a break from tennis to recover.
Despite those setbacks, Raducanu can take pride in her progress this year. She has climbed to No. 29 in the live WTA Rankings and is on course to finish inside the top 32—meeting her stated goal for the season. Earlier this month at the Wuhan Open, she told Tennis365 that earning a seeding for the 2026 Australian Open was a key ambition.
“It’s definitely a goal of mine over the next few weeks to be seeded in Australia,” Raducanu said. “The higher you go, the better your chances of progressing—but even as a seed, you can still face tough draws. It’s about doing your best and giving yourself the best opportunity.”
She added that she’s been encouraged by the improvements in her game recently and is eager to build on that momentum.
While there was some concern that rivals might overtake her in the rankings during the final tournaments of the year, that now seems unlikely. As a result, Raducanu is expected to enter 2026 with renewed motivation and a chance to climb even higher before the Australian Open.
After dealing with injuries early in the year that disrupted her Australian Open preparation, Raducanu still managed impressive wins in Melbourne against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova—both of whom have enjoyed strong 2025 campaigns.
Looking ahead, she may opt to compete in higher-tier WTA 500 events in Perth and Brisbane instead of returning to Auckland’s WTA 250 to sharpen her form ahead of the Grand Slam. Strong performances there could push her ranking into the mid-20s just in time for the Australian Open, setting her up for a promising start to 2026.
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