BREAKING: EMMA RADUCANU COMMITS TO FRANCISCO ROIG FOR 2026 AFTER YEAR OF COACHING CHAOS
After a terrifying 2025 security scare and coaching merry-go-round, Emma Raducanu chooses stability with Francisco Roig.
Emma Raducanu had a wild 2025, but it looks like she's sticking with Francisco Roig as her head coach next year. She's been through a bunch of coaches this past year, so it seems she wants some stability now.
Things haven't been easy for Raducanu since she won the US Open. She's had some form issues, injuries, and a constant change of coaches.
On top of that, she dealt with a stalking incident in 2025. But with Roig, who used to work with Rafael Nadal, by her side, she's going into 2026 trying to get back to her Grand Slam-winning level.
Andrew Richardson coached Raducanu when she won the US Open, but Torben Beltz soon took over. That lasted from late 2021 into 2022, but after a few early losses in tournaments, Beltz was out too.
Two more coaches came and went before Raducanu's childhood coach, Nick Cavaday, rejoined the team in January 2024. He had to step down a year later due to health issues, so Roman Kelecic filled in temporarily.
Kelecic was Raducanu's coach during that scary stalking incident in February. An unknown man apparently approached Raducanu at her hotel when she didn't have any team members or security around.
Raducanu then spotted the same guy during a second-round match against Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Tennis Championships, which really shook her up. He was reportedly kicked out of the match and arrested. This happened three years after she was stalked and harassed by someone else, who got a five-year restraining order.
After that mess, Vlado Platenik stepped in for a bit before Mark Petchey joined the team. He helped Raducanu through that tough time, and she got close to his daughters.
But Petchey was just a consultant and couldn't commit to travelling all the time. Roig was hired in August, and it sounds like he'll be coaching Raducanu through 2026.
When things get tough, Raducanu seems to rely on Roig. She's moved on from the stalking ordeal and is pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Australian Open. She also has her parents and a close group of friends to count on.
When she made it to the third round at Wimbledon this summer, she thanked her childhood friends for helping her get through it. Several of them were in the stands watching.
"They've been my rock through everything," Raducanu said. They're the closest people to me outside of my family. They're friends from secondary school, childhood. One of them I've known since I was 6 years old. Then another one since I was 14.
One of those friends is Benjamin Heynold, a student in America who was there to support Raducanu during her US Open win. They met when they were junior players, and Heynold's mom was even seen at Centre Court last summer.
Ryan Cohen, another friend of the tennis star, was photographed with Raducanu and Heynold at London's Winter Wonderland before she became famous.
Tessa Teo, a medic in London, and Carla Wilfert were also at Wimbledon, cheering on their friend, along with Raducanu's close friend Shauna, who lives in Dubai.
THE EIGHT-YEAR GAP: SVITOLINA REACHES FIRST WTA 1000 FINAL SINCE 2018 IN DUBAI
Svitolina stuns Gauff! Discover how she reached the Dubai final to face Pegula, plus Alcaraz's 11-0 streak and Venus' return.
Elina Svitolina stunned world number four Coco Gauff to earn a spot in the Dubai Tennis Championships final, where she’ll face Jessica Pegula.
Pegula got there first, clawing her way back after a rough start against Amanda Anisimova. She dropped the first set badly and even lost her serve early in the second, but still pulled off a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
Gauff, just 21, almost set up an all-American final, but Svitolina refused to fold. The match? Epic. Svitolina took it 6-4, 6-7 (13-15), 6-4 after more than three hours on court. She let four match points slip in a wild second-set tiebreak, but didn’t let that break her. She powered through the decider, and now she’s back in the Dubai final for the first time since she won the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
“I was playing like there’s no tomorrow, just giving it everything,” Svitolina said afterwards.
Over in the men’s Qatar Open, world number one Carlos Alcaraz kept his perfect 2026 record alive. He beat Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 to reach the final. Alcaraz, just 22, already grabbed the Australian Open this season and became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. He’s won all 11 matches he’s played this year.
“I know what I can do every time I step on the court,” Alcaraz said.
He’ll face Arthur Fils from France in the final. Fils beat Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, who’d knocked out world number two Jannik Sinner earlier in the week, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
And in some more big news, Venus Williams is heading back to Indian Wells. The seven-time Grand Slam champ, now 45, got a wildcard for both singles and doubles.
“It’s great to be heading back to Indian Wells and returning home to California,” Williams said in a statement.
9-0 STREAK: ANALYZING CARLOS ALCARAZ’S PERFECT START TO THE 2026 TENNIS SEASON
Alcaraz hits 9-0: Discover why Valentin Royer warned Alcaraz and Sinner after their 2026 clash and the latest ATP rankings.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner just got a playful warning from their ATP rival, Valentin Royer.
Alcaraz, with seven Grand Slam titles, and Sinner, who has four, have completely owned men’s tennis for the last couple of years. They’ve split the last nine majors; each grabbed four ATP Masters 1000 trophies; and keep swapping the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings.
No one else has really kept up. Novak Djokovic is still hanging around, but the rest of the guys, like Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Ben Shelton, are all chasing from behind.
Alcaraz is rolling right now. He’s unbeaten in 2026 so far, standing at 9-0. After winning his first Australian Open title, he followed up with wins over Arthur Rinderknech and Royer.
After Alcaraz beat Royer 6-2, 7-5, the two shared a light moment at the net. Royer, currently world No. 60, told Alcaraz, “I’ll come for you and Jannik, don’t worry. Some day.” Alcaraz laughed and said, “I will wait for you, man.”
Royer actually had a shot in the second set. He broke Alcaraz’s serve early and was up 5-3, serving for the set, but Alcaraz broke back, held serve, and broke again to close out the match.
Asked if he was nervous, Alcaraz admitted, “Honestly, I had to be ready for anything. There were moments when I thought about a third set; I’m not going to lie. But that was just a small part of my mind. Mostly, I was focused on finding solutions, figuring out how to get back on track.
“I’m really happy I found my rhythm again and played good tennis. Sometimes it just comes down to one point. Closing out a set or a match isn’t always easy. I just had to stay in it, and I’m glad I turned it around and got the win in straight sets.”
Next, he faces seventh seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. If he gets through, he’ll meet either Andrey Rublev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis. Sinner is the likely opponent waiting in the final.
“Everybody expects us to play every final, every tournament, but that’s not easy. There are a lot of players out here who want to beat us,” Alcaraz said about a possible final against Sinner.