When is Emma Raducanu playing next? Brit to skip Stuttgart in favour of Rouen debut to begin clay season
Updated 29/03/2025 at 18:16 GMT
Emma Raducanu enjoyed a strong run at the Miami Open as she won four matches in a row for the first time since the 2021 US Open. Raducanu will now turn her attention to the clay swing, and this year has opted not to start it at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Raducanu made the quarters in Stuttgart last year but has decided to make a debut elsewhere.
Emma Raducanu
Image credit: Getty Images
Emma Raducanu has made the decision to start her clay season at a different tournament than in recent years.
The 22-year-old enters the clay swing on the back of an encouraging showing at the Miami Open, where she won four matches in a row for the first time since her triumph at the 2021 US Open.
She beat eighth seed Emma Navarro and 17th seed Amanda Anisimova, before pushing fourth seed Jessica Pegula in a three-set defeat in the quarter-finals.
Now set to move back into the top 50 in the WTA rankings, Raducanu will be looking to carry her momentum into the next stage of the season.
When is Raducanu starting her clay season?
For the past three years, Raducanu’s clay swing has kicked off at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a high-profile WTA 500 event and last year featured Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina.
Raducanu has been an ambassador for Porsche since 2022 and last October the car manufacturer denied rumours that the partnership has ended, with a statement saying: "Emma Raducanu is a global brand ambassador for Porsche and there have not been any changes within our successful partnership since it started in 2022. We are very happy with our partnership."
However, Raducanu will not be back this April at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she made the quarter-finals last year.
Instead, she will make her debut at the WTA 250 Open de Rouen.
The tournament runs in the same week as the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, both starting on April 14, and Raducanu will be joined in the draw by Elina Svitolina and Sofia Kenin.
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu has also entered qualifying as she is set to compete for the first time since October 2024, following an emergency appendectomy.
Alize Cornet has got a wildcard as she makes a return to tennis after retiring at the French Open last year.
The next two big clay events on the WTA calendar are the WTA 1000 Madrid Open (April 22) and the WTA 1000 Italian Open (May 6).
‘Sky is the limit’ for Raducanu
Raducanu’s quarter-final run at the Miami Open saw her arguably play her best tennis since her US Open victory in 2021.
Even in defeat to Pegula, she produced a spirited display that saw her overcome a medical timeout to force a third set.
Although her coaching situation moving forward is unclear - in Miami she worked with Mark Petchey and Jane O'Donoghue after a brief trial period with Vladimir Platenik - tennis legend Martina Navratilova thinks Raducanu is trending upwards.
"If she stays healthy and plays this well, then she’ll be seeded at Roland Garros," Navratilova told Sky Sports.
"I think she’ll move up the ranking well enough into the top 30. The biggest question mark is her health.
"Hopefully she can sort out her coaching situation because she’s been in a state of flux, but I think she needs to commit to somebody and stay with them for a little bit, see how that works.
"If she played like she did against Pegula, then the sky’s the limit."
Former British No. 1 Tim Henman added: "When you see that level from Raducanu - not only the tennis, but also the movement, the resilience, the fighting spirit - if she keeps doing that, then she's getting back in the top 20, top 30, I think. That's what we want to see."
- - -
Watch and stream the 2025 French Open live on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Thoughts?
Advertisement
Advertisement