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EXPERT PREDICTION: GREG RUSEDSKI BACKS EMMA RADUCANU TO RE-ENTER WTA TOP 20

Emma Raducanu ended 2025 at World No. 29 and is poised for an early 2026 surge. Analyst Greg Rusedski predicts a Top 20 finish, starting with the United Cup challenge.

Expert Prediction: Greg Rusedski Backs Emma Raducanu To Re-Enter WTA Top 20
Raducanu's Ranking Hopes hinge on 500 United Cup Points

Emma Raducanu made good progress in the WTA Rankings in 2025, and she'll have a chance to keep moving up early in 2026.

The Brit cut her ranking in half this year, ending 2025 as world No. 29, after being ranked 58th at the end of 2024. This is Raducanu’s best year-end ranking since 2021, a year she finished as world No. 19 after her US Open win.

Raducanu's current ranking of 29 is her highest since August 2022, before her US Open title points went away. She reached a career-high of world No. 10 in July 2022.

The 23-year-old had a 28-22 record from the 22 tournaments she played in 2025 and has 1,563 WTA ranking points.

Raducanu’s 2025 season started at the Australian Open after she had to withdraw from the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland because of a back injury.

So, she is not defending any points until the Australian Open, where she will be defending 130 points after reaching the third round this year.

This gives Raducanu a solid chance to get more points before the first Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne.

Raducanu will begin her 2026 season at the United Cup, a mixed team competition in Australia where she will be making her first appearance.

Players can earn up to 500 ranking points at the United Cup. Great Britain is in Group E with Japan and Greece.

In the current WTA Rankings, Raducanu is behind Sofia Kenin (No. 28) by 26 points, Dayana Yastremska (No. 27) by 41 points, Marta Kostyuk (No. 26) by 96 points, and Paula Badosa (No. 25) by 113 points.

If Raducanu plays well at the United Cup, she has a good chance to move up in the rankings since she doesn't have many points to defend.

Greg Rusedski has given Emma Raducanu a ranking target for 2026.

In an interview with Tennis365, former world No. 4 Greg Rusedski said he thinks Raducanu will get into the top 20 in 2026.

She has gotten back to where she is in the rankings without playing a full schedule, said the former British No. 1.

So, I think she will get back into the top 20 next year, and the challenge will be to go beyond that and win titles.

Tennis players tend to be on a. They start by winning smaller events, move up the rankings, and then compete for Grand Slams when they reach the top level.

Raducanu now needs to win tournaments. She needs to reach the finals. She hasn’t done that yet, and she needs to start by winning the smaller events on the main tour.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC LANDS IN ATHENS AFTER HISTORIC AUSTRALIAN OPEN RUNNER-UP FINISH

After a historic loss to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic returns to his family in Athens to reset for the 2026 tennis season.

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Novak Djokovic loses first-ever Australian Open final to unstoppable Carlos Alcaraz

After losing his first Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic just wanted to see his family.

Djokovic landed in Athens on Tuesday, wrapping up two weeks away from home and marking his 38th appearance in a major final.

For the first time ever, Novak walked away from Rod Laver Arena with the runner-up trophy. At 36, he became the oldest finalist in Australian Open history, but Alcaraz stopped him in four sets: 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. The match lasted just over three hours.

This was Djokovic's first tournament in more than two months, and even so, he showed why people call him a legend. He cruised through the first three rounds and reached the last 16 without much fuss.

In the fourth round, Jakub Mensik had to pull out with an abdominal injury, so Novak got a walkover and saved some energy for the big matches ahead. But things nearly fell apart a few days later. Lorenzo Musetti took the first two sets in their quarterfinal, and for a moment, Djokovic looked like he might be headed home early. Then, out of nowhere, Musetti retired in the third set, and suddenly Novak was through to his 13th Australian Open semi-final.

Next up was Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champ. Djokovic had to dig deep. Twice he came back from a set down and eventually won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 after more than four hours on court. He fought off 16 out of 18 break points and weathered over 70 winners from Sinner, proving that belief really does go a long way. At 36, he marched into his 38th major final.

Djokovic left everything on court against Alcaraz. He started strong, but the Spaniard found his rhythm and took control in the second and third sets, racking up five breaks. In the fourth, Novak saved six break points early on and kept pace, even earning a break chance at 4-all. Then he missed a forehand he’d usually make, and just like that, his shot at a fifth set slipped away.

Alcaraz broke late in the set and sealed the win, handing Djokovic his first-ever loss in an Australian Open final. Now, Novak’s taking some time off to be with his family. He’s expected back on court soon, probably in Doha, but right now, only he knows how his schedule will look.

WHO IS SAMUEL LOPEZ? MEET THE COACH BEHIND CARLOS ALCARAZ’S 2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN GLORY

Discover the touching moment Carlos Alcaraz saw coach Samuel Lopez receive a trophy after his Australian Open victory.

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Samuel Lopez is the perfect strategic fit for Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz just pulled off something huge—he beat Novak Djokovic in four sets (2:6, 6:2, 6:3, 7:5) to win the Australian Open. With this win, he joins the legends of the Open era, becoming one of the rare players to snag at least one title at all four Grand Slams.

Here’s the wild part: Alcaraz is just 22. Actually, he turns 23 on May 5, so he’s still got plenty of time. This marks his seventh Grand Slam title already. For a bit of perspective, Djokovic had only one Grand Slam trophy at Alcaraz’s age.

Since he’d never won the Australian Open before, Alcaraz didn’t really know the drill for the trophy ceremony. His coach, Samuel Lopez, got a trophy too, which caught Carlos off guard—in a good way. Their partnership has clearly paid off.

Talking to the media, Alcaraz said he loved that coaches get recognised with their own trophy. He hadn’t seen that before and thought it was a fantastic idea, since a champion’s journey isn’t a solo effort. Watching Samuel Lopez get his moment meant a lot to him. “It’s wonderful, and when I saw him there, I was so happy because I know Samuel has been working toward this moment his whole life. For me, he’s one of the best coaches—if not the best—you can have on a tennis court today. For me, it was a magical and incredibly special moment: hugging him after the last point and also seeing him there, with everyone recognising what he deserves,” Alcaraz said.

Not everyone was convinced after Alcaraz split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and started working with Lopez. Some experts doubted whether he could keep dominating the tour this year. But after Melbourne, it looks like Alcaraz isn’t going anywhere. Even without Ferrero, he’s still leading the pack.

With three more Grand Slams coming up this season, it’s shaping up to be a wild ride. You get the feeling that we’ll be watching Alcaraz and Sinner battling for the biggest prizes all year long.

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