THE REAL REASON EMMA RADUCANU TRUSTS FRANCISCO ROIG MORE THAN HER PREVIOUS COACHES
Emma Raducanu teams up with Nadal’s ex-coach for a 2026 surge, while Jack Draper battles a bone bruise. Get the full injury report.
As Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, both British No. 1s but separated by thousands of miles, watched the New Year's fireworks, they may have thought about how important 2026 will be for their careers.
They've known each other since they were kids learning to play tennis. Being just a few months apart in age, they've always been seen as the future of British tennis. 2026 is a key year for both, but for different reasons. It's like they've switched roles. Raducanu has everything she needs to win, so she needs to show she can compete near the top, like Draper did in 2024 and early last year. For Draper, it's simpler, like it was for Raducanu in 2025: he just needs to stay healthy.
Raducanu is in Perth, leading Team GB in the United Cup, which is like practice before the Australian Open. For the first time, we can say she has what she needs for a good season.
Most importantly, her coach, Francisco Roig, could be the long-term mentor she needs. He has a great reputation, having spent 18 years with Rafael Nadal.
His coaching style seems perfect for Raducanu. Jordi Vilaro, from Roig's BTT Academy, said that Roig believes players waste energy with too much stopping and starting. Rather, he thinks players should always be moving, running to the ball and hitting it almost at the same time.
If you saw Raducanu win the 2021 US Open, you'll remember her playing like this. She was in a groove, and she's been trying to get back to that ever since. Roig might be the one to help her.
Raducanu trusts him, which is a big deal for her. Some of her past coaches lost her trust by talking to the media. Roig kept Nadal's secrets for years and still does, which shows Raducanu that he's someone she can trust.
Besides Roig, Raducanu has a good team around her, including Jerome Poupel, who has worked in Formula 1 and horse racing, and Emma Stewart, who worked with the British rowing team that won gold in Paris 2024.
Now, there are no excuses. Raducanu should be able to reach her full potential this season.
Draper, on the other hand, is dealing with injuries and a new coach, similar to Raducanu in the past.
Last season, Draper looked like he would become a top player. But a bone bruise in his arm has kept him out for months, and he's still not ready to play in Australia.
This isn't a new problem. Since he grew a lot as a teenager, Draper has had trouble staying healthy. He's had shoulder problems, hip pain, and now this. His fitness team, Matt Little and Shane Annun, who both worked with Andy Murray, need to help him stay fit.
Draper has proven he can compete at the highest level but has had fitness problems.
Draper also split with his longtime coach, James Trotman, which adds another challenge.
His new coach is Jamie Delgado, who also worked with Murray. He recently helped Grigor Dimitrov improve his game late in his career and is very good at what he does. But Draper and Trotman were close, so it will take time to build that same kind of relationship with Delgado.
Draper has a lot to figure out, and Raducanu has one main goal: with everything in place, how good can she be?
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
