Tim Henman keeping 'fingers crossed' for Emma Raducanu after Briton withdraws from United Cup clash against Naomi Osaka
By James Hilsum
Updated 04/01/2026 at 10:33 GMT
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Emma Raducanu's injury problems appear to have surfaced again, after she withdrew from her United Cup women's singles clash against Naomi Osaka in Perth. Great Britain captain Tim Henman said he was hopeful that the 23-year-old would still be able to play some part at the tournament. The Australian Open - starting on January 18 - is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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The 23-year-old is part of the Great Britain team competing in Perth and was scheduled to play Osaka in the women’s singles match, but was subsequently replaced by Katie Swan.
This is another setback for the 2021 US Open winner, who has not played since October after falling ill in China.
She was due to play in two exhibition matches against Amanda Anisimova in Newark and Miami, but withdrew due to ongoing concerns with a foot injury.
Osaka overcame Swan 7-6(4) 6-1 to level the overall score at 1-1 at the United Cup, following a 7-6(4) 6-3 win for Billy Harris over Shintaro Mochizuki in the men's singles match.
GB team captain Tim Henman didn't give a reason for Raducanu's withdrawal, but said in an interview with Australian broadcaster Nine: "I have to be honest, she was very close.
"It wasn't an easy decision. She had been building up and practising really well. But we just felt this morning it was a little bit too early.
"I don't think she's necessarily out of this tournament just yet. So we're keeping our fingers crossed."
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Focus now shifts to the mixed doubles clash, pitting Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski against Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama.
The United Cup sees six groups of three teams play each other once, with the six group winners and two second-placed teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
Raducanu previously spoke about building a "better" version of herself last month, before she undertook some pre-season training with coach Francisco Roig in Barcelona.
"Francis wants me to focus on building a better Emma Raducanu," she told the Daily Mail.
"I’ve always been more tactical, trying to exploit their weaknesses and be crafty. And it works, but the ideal is you don’t have to think too much about the other player: you can just go and execute your game.
"In terms of my weapons, I don’t necessarily have something that can blow someone off the court, so I have to use my skill, and my brain more."
Raducanu will still hope to have a role to play in the United Cup, which serves as vital match preparation ahead of the Australian Open.
The first Grand Slam of the year starts on January 18, and is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Raducanu is one of six British players to have qualified directly for the tournament, including Sonay Kartal and Fran Jones.
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Former British No.1 Katie Boulter will have to do it the hard way though and progress through qualifying after missing out on a main draw place.
The 29-year-old's slide down the rankings has proved costly, after being seeded for the Melbourne major in 2025.
On the men's side, Jack Draper has announced he won't take part as he continues to recover from an arm injury. Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley are set to compete at the tournament.
Watch and stream top tennis action, including the 2026 Australian Open, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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