Tim Henman ‘Keeping Fingers Crossed’ for Emma Raducanu After United Cup Withdrawal
SME News UK. Emma Raducanu’s injury concerns resurfaced on Sunday after the former US Open champion withdrew from Great Britain’s United Cup clash against Naomi Osaka, dealing another blow to her hopes of a strong start to the 2026 season.Raducanu, 23, had been scheduled to face Osaka in the women’s singles match in Perth but was replaced by Katie Swan shortly before play began. Osaka went on to defeat Swan 7-6(4), 6-1, levelling the tie at 1-1 after Billy Harris had earlier given Britain the lead with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Shintaro Mochizuki in the men’s singles.The withdrawal marks another frustrating setback for Raducanu, who has not competed since October after falling ill during the China swing. She also pulled out of two planned exhibition matches against Amanda Anisimova in Newark and Miami due to ongoing issues with a foot injury.Great Britain captain Tim Henman declined to give a specific reason for Raducanu’s absence but suggested the decision was made with caution in mind.> “I have to be honest, she was very close,” Henman told Australian broadcaster Nine. “It wasn’t an easy decision. She had been building up and practising really well, but we just felt this morning it was a little bit too early.“I don’t think she’s necessarily out of this tournament just yet, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”Attention now turns to the mixed doubles, where Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski will face Japan’s Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama. The United Cup format features six groups of three nations, with group winners and the two best runners-up progressing to the quarter-finals.Raducanu recently spoke about her determination to rebuild and evolve her game following a pre-season training block in Barcelona with coach Francisco Roig.> “Francis wants me to focus on building a better Emma Raducanu,” she told the Daily Mail. “I’ve always been more tactical, trying to exploit weaknesses and be crafty. It works, but ideally you don’t have to think too much about the other player — you can just execute your game.”She added:> “I don’t necessarily have a weapon that can blow someone off the court, so I have to use my skill and my brain more.”Raducanu is one of six British women to qualify directly for the Australian Open main draw, alongside Sonay Kartal and Fran Jones. Former British No.1 Katie Boulter, however, will have to progress through qualifying after her recent slide down the rankings, having been seeded for the Melbourne major last year.On the men’s side, Jack Draper has ruled himself out of the tournament as he continues to recover from an arm injury, while Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley are set to represent Britain.As the new season begins, Raducanu’s fitness remains a key storyline — with British hopes hinging on whether she can finally enjoy an extended run free from injury.
