British tennis star Emma Raducanu, currently ranked No. 41 in the world, has confirmed great news to fans despite not feeling fully fit. The 22-year-old, who lost her most recent match in the round of 16 with a scoreline of 6-4, 1-6, 3-6 confirmed her participation in the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros and will face China’s Wang Xinyu in her opening-round clash on Monday.
Although Raducanu remains unseeded heading into the Grand Slam, she is optimistic about her chances while still recovering from a back injury that has lingered since earlier this season. Speaking to BBC Sport, she acknowledged her condition:
“It feels OK, it feels good, not 100 per cent yet, but we’re working towards that. I still have a couple of days.”
Raducanu has been managing the injury with a combination of dry needling and heat therapy, despite having a long-standing fear of needles. The former US Open champion, who burst onto the global scene with her historic 2021 victory in New York, has had to face both physical setbacks and psychological challenges over the past year.
“I would say the one before Australia was worse,” Raducanu explained, referencing the back issue that troubled her at the start of the year. “I feel like this one I kind of caught before it fully locked up.”
“At the start of the year, I was so scared of needles. It was my biggest phobia. That was the only way I was going to be able to play Australia. Since then, I’ve been kind of dipping my toes into it because I know it helps, even though I’m really scared of them. That’s how I’ve kind of been trying to manage it.”
Raducanu’s career has been riddled with injury challenges. In 2023, she underwent surgeries on both her ankle and wrist, forcing her into a long rehabilitation process. Reflecting on that journey, she expressed some regret over pushing herself too hard when her body was signaling otherwise.
“I just kept pushing through because people were telling me I wasn’t tough enough, like I need to just work through it,” she said. “Like it’s normal I’m feeling fatigued because I’m training so much, when in reality I knew there was pain, and I knew it kind of felt more than just soreness. I wish I would have listened to myself sooner. I would have saved myself maybe like eight months, 12 months of struggling, but I guess I can learn from that.”
On the coaching front, Raducanu is currently working with Mark Petchey, her former childhood mentor, on an informal basis. While no permanent coaching arrangement has been confirmed, the 2021 US Open winner acknowledges that a more stable coaching situation will eventually be necessary as she looks to return to the top tier of women’s tennis.
As she steps onto the clay at Roland Garros, Raducanu is looking to balance recovery and performance—hoping that her resilience, evolving mindset, and ongoing recovery will help her navigate the challenges of the French Open and the 2025 season ahead.
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