Emma Raducanu Pulls Out of Exhibition Matches and Hires New Trainer

Details on Emma Raducanu's latest injury, staff shakeup, and scheduling changes.

Injuries have upended Emmad Raducanu's off-season plans. | IMAGO / VCG

Top-ranked British women's tennis player Emma Raducanu enjoyed a very strong 2025 WTA season. While the one-time Grand Slam champion did not win any titles, she did soar up the WTA Rankings and put together her best campaign in years.

Like several other men's and women's tennis players, Raducanu flamed out by the Asian Swing. The culmination of a long season, combined with extreme heat, forced Raducanu to shut down her roller-coaster season early.

Many tennis fans are excited about what is to come for Raducanu, but that hype was tempered by the announcement of another setback.

The former U.S. Open champion was scheduled to play in two highly publicized exhibition matches in the United States next month, but that will no longer be the case.

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from two upcoming exhibition matches in the United States next month due to a minor foot injury ❌

The 23-year-old was scheduled to face Amanda Anisimova in Newark and Miami, but promoters have confirmed that world No. 6 Jessica Pegula will step in as… pic.twitter.com/NCSYJ8WRrb

— TNT Sports (@tntsports) November 17, 2025

The inaugural "A Racquet at the Rock" and "Miami Invitational" will be played in December in Newark and Miami. Yesterday, tournament organizers have announced Raducanu's withdrawal due to an injury. American tennis star and WTA World No. 6 Jessica Pegula will replace Raducanu in both exhibition matches.

According to multiple news outlets, Raducanu is believed to be managing light bone bruising in her right foot. Additionally, Raducanu has also begun working with a new physiotherapist, Emma Stewart, who previously served as physio for the men's team at British Rowing.

According to Tennis 365, the legendary fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura is not on Raducanu's team. Nakamura stepped down during the season, later joining Grigor Dimitrov's team.

Last season, Raducanu cycled through several interim coaches. Most notably, a shakeup in the middle of the Sunshine Double, a stint with Mark Petchey, and eventually hiring Spanish head coach Francis Roig.

Emma will head to Barcelona soon for pre season training with Francisco Roig 🎾

Emma has appointed a new physio Emma Stewart who used to work for the WTA

— Raducanu News☀️ (@RaducanuNews) November 17, 2025

Raducanu ended the 2025 WTA season as the World No. 29 with a singles record of 28-22 with zero titles. She defeated multiple top ten players and came close to upsetting World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati.

As for the upcoming exhibition matches, "A Racquet at The Rock" will take place at New Jersey's Prudential Center on December 7. Then the Miami Invitational will be held December 8 will be the first ever tennis event at the home of the Miami Marlins, providing the unique and historic tennis competition at a ballpark.

Raducanu has less than two months to prepare for the 2026 Australian Open. The British star has repeatedly emphasized the tournament's importance and used the second half of the 2025 season to position herself.

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