Emma Raducanu anticipates retirement within the next decade
Emma Raducanu has admitted she expects her career in professional tennis to be over within the next decade, revealing she is already looking forward to life beyond the sport, reports BritPanorama.
The former US Open champion, who celebrated her 23rd birthday earlier this year, believes her playing days will likely be behind her by the time she reaches her early thirties. Raducanu has spent the past five years navigating the pressures that followed her remarkable breakthrough at the 2021 US Open, where she became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Since then, injuries have repeatedly disrupted her progress, while several coaching changes have prevented her from building long-term momentum. Nevertheless, after reaching the final at Queen’s Club earlier this month, the British star has shown signs of returning to her best ahead of Wimbledon.
Despite that renewed optimism, Raducanu admits she does not envisage herself remaining on the tour for decades. Asked where she expects to be in 10 years’ time, she told Grazia: “I’ll probably be retiring and hopefully proud of the career I’ve had in tennis, but also extremely excited for another career.” If Raducanu follows that timeline, she would retire at around the age of 33.
The Briton has previously acknowledged she cannot picture herself playing into her forties in the manner of Serena Williams, who continued competing at the highest level well into the latter stages of her career. Raducanu has also spoken openly about the profession she believes she would have pursued had tennis not worked out. She has revealed a keen interest in finance and could see herself working in the banking industry after retirement.
Speaking after announcing a partnership with HSBC, she said: “To partner with HSBC is so natural for me having grown up playing in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon and having been a customer for many years. If I wasn’t a tennis player, I would definitely want to work in finance so I’m excited to learn more about the industry in the years to come.”
For now, however, Raducanu’s full focus remains on adding another chapter to her tennis story. The British No 1 heads into Wimbledon encouraged by her run to the Queen’s Club final, her best tournament performance since lifting the US Open trophy. She has not played competitively since that defeat, opting to skip Nottingham and Eastbourne because of what she described as a minor “niggle” as she prioritised arriving at the All England Club in the best possible condition. Raducanu has continued her preparations on the practice courts and is scheduled to begin her Wimbledon campaign against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic on Court One on Monday.
As she steps onto the grass courts, the question remains: can Raducanu harness her potential and achieve greatness once more, or will the weight of expectation shape her path in unexpected ways?
