Why Emma Raducanu’s 2025 Season Ended in Tears – And What It Means for Her Future

For many tennis fans, the image of Emma Raducanu on court is one of explosive joy: the fist-pump, the smile, the 2021 US Open fairytale. But for the 22-year-old Brit, 2025 turned out to be a season where the body shouted “stop” while the heart screamed “go!”.

It began with promise. After a difficult stretch of injuries and coaching upheavals, Raducanu finally seemed to be finding her rhythm: a semi-final in Washington, a third-round showing at the US Open, and a fresh partnership with the experienced coach Francisco Roig in her corner. But the momentum derailed brutally in the Asian swing, two tournaments that exposed how fragile this comeback really was.

Her match at the Wuhan Open saw her retire trailing 6-1, 4-1, citing dizziness and requiring blood-pressure checks mid-play in stifling heat and humidity.  Just days later at Ningbo she lost in the first round, again medically attended, and then made the tough decision to end her season early.

So why did it all fall apart? The answer lies somewhere between the visible and the invisible. On the visible front: relentless travel, back-to-back tournaments, brutal physical conditions. On the invisible front: the pressure of expectation, the fear of not living up to that 2021 breakthrough, and a body that has already sounded alerts earlier in her career. Raducanu herself admitted she needed to “play more than I did this year… stay on court longer” and saw that her fitness was not yet where it must be.

But here’s the kicker: ending the season in tears could be the best thing for Emma. By pulling the plug now—by listening when her body yelled stop—she gives herself a chance to recharge, recalibrate, and return with real purpose. Her decision to extend her partnership with Roig and focus on 2026 shows that she’s not giving up the dream; she’s merely changing the route.

Fans might see the early exit as a failure, but I prefer to see it as a reset point. The fire is still there; the talent is undeniable. What remains is the marathon, not the sprint. If Raducanu uses these next months to rebuild her body, fortify her mind and align her schedule with her stamina, 2026 could be the year the real comeback starts.

In short: 2025 didn’t end the story—it rewrote the draft. And if Emma Raducanu emerges from this hiatus stronger, wiser, more resilient—then the tears she shed this year might become the tears of triumph in the next.