Emma Raducanu starts new season with injury setback as she misses first match of 2026
NewsSunday, 04 January 2026 at 14:00
The 2026 season hasn't started the way Emma Raducanu envisioned, as she was forced to withdraw from her very first match.
Tennis players do their best every off-season to enter the new season as ready as humanly possible. Emma Raducanu did her best to prepare for the 2026 season, but she couldn't avoid an injury setback that stopped her from playing her first match of the new season.
Raducanu chose the United Cup as her first tournament of the new season. In her first match of 2026, she was supposed to play against former WTA world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
It was one of the blockbusters of the group stage phase at the United Cup, but shortly before the match, Raducanu had to be replaced by compatriot Katie Swan, who was a huge underdog against Osaka. Swan is ranked 276th in the world and lost 6-7(4), 1-6 in an hour and 54 minutes.
Obviously, Raducanu's health became the main talking point right after the tie. Team Captain Tim Henman was asked about the British No. 1 after Great Britain's win over Japan.
Henman revealed that Raducanu had a setback during the off-season, and even though she was close to playing the first match, the decision ultimately had to be made. That decision was to withdraw from the tie against Japan.
"Yeah, she struggled with her foot for the end of last year. The improvement that she's made has been fantastic. She's been practicing in London, really only doing static drills, to be out on the practice court and moving and playing games. She is very close."
"In terms of tomorrow, it's still a little bit up in the air. We're kind of forced to put Emma on the list because if we didn't do that, then that only gives us one option. When we get back tonight, we'll discuss it as a team. I think Katie did such a good job today."
"You think about her journey over the last 12, 18 months, to be out there against a Grand Slam champion on a big stage like that in a huge event representing her country, I thought her performance was brilliant. Look, I'm very happy whoever plays. Likewise whether it was Billy or Jan, they've both been practicing great. We do have options. We'll just have to wait and see."
Based on Henman's words, it's possible that Raducanu will step onto the court for the country's second United Cup tie against Greece. Her opponent would be Maria Sakkari, a former Top 10 player who would certainly be a great test for Raducanu at the start of the new season.
Emma Raducanu didn't talk about her injury before the United Cup
Despite being aware of the health issue before the start of the team competition, Raducanu didn't talk about it during the team press conference. When asked about the season ahead, she mentioned her focus on consistency.
"Yeah, I think for me it's just about stacking the good days. I've been putting in some good practices. Even if each practice isn't as perfect as you want it to be, I think just the consistency of it is the most important thing. That's what really helped me last year. So I just hope to carry that on and enjoy the tennis, enjoy the process of what I'm doing, which right now I am."
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