Emma Raducanu Shares Plans for Retirement Ahead of Wimbledon: “To Think My Life Starts in My Thirties Is Exciting”

Emma Raducanu will be seen in action at Wimbledon, which kicks off on June 29. She will be hoping to make it past the fourth round for the first time. The Brit has yet to progress to the quarterfinals of a Major since she clinched her career’s first Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open.

And that made her a household name, with the fairytale run also attracting major brands, including British Airways, Dior, Evian, HSBC, Porsche, Tiffany, and Vodafone. As per Forbes, Raducanu was one of the highest-paid female athletes in 2024, with her net worth reportedly being around $15 million.

Raducanu is already thinking of a life after tennis. During her interview with Grazia, when asked about where she sees herself in 10 years, this is what she said:

I’ll probably be retiring and hopefully proud of the career I’ve had in tennis, but also extremely excited for another career. I know tennis is one chapter of my life, and it’s such a huge part of my current identity, but I have a lot more than just tennis ahead of me.

Raducanu, even though she is pretty inconsistent on the tour, is one of the most marketable tennis players, all thanks to her Cinderella run at the 2021 US Open. But since then, she has yet to lift another trophy.

I can’t wait to delve into another chapter, and to think that my life really starts in my thirties is exciting, even though I will have had a whole tennis career by then.

Emma Raducanu added

Raducanu turned pro in 2018 and achieved her career-high ranking of No.10 in July 2022. At present, Raducanu stands in 32nd spot in the rankings table.

Raducanu has so far played two finals this season. She reached her first final since the 2021 US Open at the Transylvania Open, losing the match to retirement-bound Sorana Cirstea. The 23-year-old next played the final of the Queen’s Club Championships but lost the title to Donna Vekic.

Tim Henman on Emma Raducanu’s decision to re-hire Andrew Richardson 

Emma Raducanu rehired coach Andrew Richardson before the Queen’s event. It was under Richardson that Raducanu lifted the 2021 US Open, but after a couple of weeks, they parted ways. And this surprised Tim Henman.

I was surprised she chose not to work with him. She’s worked with a lot of coaches since then, and now I really hope that her decision to get back with Andrew works for both their sakes. He’s one of my best friends, and I’ve also been around Emma. So it would be good if results improve.

Tim Henman told The Guardian

Raducanu has worked with nine different coaches (Richardson, Nigel Sears, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, Vladimir Platenik, Nick Cavaday, Mark Petchey, and Francisco Roig). Henman, however, lauded the youngster for winning a Major as a qualifier and without dropping a set, calling it “one of the most incredible achievements in sport.”

After the Queen’s, Raducanu was scheduled to play Karolina Pliskova at the Nottingham Open, but she chose not to participate and drew criticism, including from former ATP World No.1 Andy Roddick. The American thinks Raducanu needs a lot of match practice before a Grand Slam tournament.

Last year in her home Slam, Raducanu’s run ended with a straight-set defeat at the hands of World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round. In this Wimbledon, Iga Swiatek will be competing as the defending champion. The Pole, who is not at all enjoying a good form, double-bageled Amanda Anisimova in last year’s Wimbledon final.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Declares Clean Bill of Health Ahead of High-Stakes Wimbledon Title Defense