The tennis rumour mill has been swirling in recent weeks amid claims that British No 1 Emma Raducanu has ended her long-standing association with clothing brand Nike to sign for a rival ahead of the 2026 season
Raducanu was reported to have lined up a lucrative deal with Uniqlo, which would have seen her follow the path of 20-time Grand Slam-winning legend Roger Federer, who made that move at the back end of his career.
It would have been a big change for Raducanu if she had ended her partnership with Nike, with the sportswear giant snapping up the Brit before she won the 2021 US Open and became an international sporting sensation overnight.
While Raducanu has not won a tournament or even reached a WTA Tour final since that amazing win in New York over four years ago, her commercial appeal remains high as she has a huge social media following an is still one of the most talked about players in the women’s game.
So a move to Uniqlo would not have been a surprise, as the Japanese company would appreciate the value of having a player who has strong roots in Asia thanks to her Chinese mother as one of their brand ambassadors.
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Yet Raducanu has taken to court for the first time ahead of the new season after arriving in Perth ahead of the United Cup event and she was still wearing Nike branding.
There is still a possibility that Raducanu could switch to Uniqlo for 2026 as he Nike deal is likely to run until the end of the year, but it appears she is not breaking from her current clothing and shoe suppliers.
Raducanu’s arrival in Australian also dispelled another rumour that she may be forced to start of her season due to an ongoing foot problem.
Yet speaking to the media at the LTA’S National Tennis Centre in London earlier this month, she talked up her hopes of hitting the ground running in the new season.
“I feel quite content with how things are going on and off the court. I’m in a pretty good place,” said Raducanu.
“I just think, despite any challenges I have been facing with the foot or the health at the end of the season, I feel in a good place, and I’m building back in the gym, to start with.
“And I’m feeling pretty relaxed ahead of next year, which is a good place to be. And I’m just proud of the season that I put in this year and the progress I have made.
“I would say that next year, I hope to play less than I did this year. But I think also just incorporating into my warm-ups, fitness, so it’s not necessarily just my fitness sessions are like separate.
“You just have to try and drip feed as much as you can in for the overall health of your body, little and often, I think, is the biggest thing that’s helped.
“And most of all, I think I found a lot more peace with myself and I’m a lot happier with how I’m approaching my tennis and how I’m approaching the team that I have and just what I’m doing and the environment that I have.
“I think that’s the most special thing because it takes so much work and so many days to get to where we want to be. And just enjoying each day and being able to look at it in a pretty healthy perspective is so important.”
Raducanu is set to play her first event representing Great Britain in the United Cup, but she will not be teaming up with Jack Draper after the British No 1 was forced to delay his comeback to tennis due to an ongoing arm injury.
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