Emma Raducanu faces a big drop in rankings as a new British No.1 takes the lead
Emma Raducanu’s drop in the WTA rankings kept going after the Cincinnati Open, which was another tough moment for the British player.
Emma made history when she became the first woman or man to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier by winning the US Open in 2021. That amazing win at Flushing Meadows was expected to launch her to the top of women’s tennis, but things haven’t gone smoothly since.
She hasn’t made it past the fourth round in any Grand Slam tournament since her US Open win, and out of 14 tournaments, she’s only gone beyond the second round four times.
Emma showed some good signs of getting back to her best form at Queens, a WTA 500 event before Wimbledon, where she reached the final but lost to Croatia’s Donna Vekic in mid-June.
Shortly after, the 23-year-old had to pull out of her first matches at Nottingham and Wimbledon because she hurt her lower right leg with a stress fracture.
In early August, Raducanu announced she would miss the US Open, which was another setback.
Plus, for the first time in 14 months (since June 2025), Katie Boulter took over as the British number one after the Cincinnati Open.
Even though Boulter lost in the second round to Wimbledon champ Linda Noskova, she still moved up 11 spots to world number 60. Meanwhile, Emma dropped to 68th after missing the Cincinnati Open.
Interestingly, Boulter and Raducanu are still the only two British players in the WTA top 100.
This is the first time since June 2025 that Emma has lost her place as the top British player, which shows she’s been going through a tough patch.
No one expected this drop after her big US Open win; many thought she would become the next big British tennis star like Andy Murray.
Talking about Emma’s struggles, former British number one Andrew Castle said it wouldn’t be surprising if she suddenly decided to retire after feeling she hasn’t met expectations.
He said, “Well, I have no inside info, but it wouldn’t shock me if one day, out of the blue, she said she’s had enough. We all say that sometimes. She only has to answer to herself and her family. That’s it.”
He added, “Sponsors and fans aren’t the ones living her career. It’s her choice, but I do hope she keeps going.”
The pressure of big expectations has probably made things harder for Emma, who rose to fame so young. On top of that, she’s had to deal with many serious injuries. She’s hoping things improve soon.