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Emma Raducanu has revealed she is in a “pretty good place” as she reflected on her 2025 campaign and looked ahead to next year.

The 23-year-old is currently the world No 29, which is her highest ranking position since the points from her 2021 US Open title win dropped in September 2022.

Raducanu was ranked 60th as recently as March 16 this year, but she kickstarted her season with her run to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open that month and finished the year with a 28-22 record.

The Brit’s other standout results were reaching the semi-finals at the WTA 500 tournament in Washington in July and the last 16 at the Italian Open in May.

In an interview on the BBC Today Programme, Raducanu declared that she was feeling “relaxed” ahead of the 2026 season.

“I feel quite content with how things are going on and off the court. I’m in a pretty good place,” said the former world No 10.

“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.”

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Asked what helped her be healthy and play week in week out in 2025, Raducanu said: “I think actually doing it and putting yourself in a position to do it rather than necessarily having in your head, I’m gonna go home — that helped.

“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 also expressed her gratitude at being able to spend Christmas at home with her family in England this year.

“It’s the first Christmas that I will be in the UK since Covid, so that is extremely exciting for me, because the calendar starts a week later, which I’m very grateful for,” Raducanu said.

“That means I will be able to be with my family for Christmas for the first time in a while, so that’s really special. But of course the tour is incredibly demanding, and then once we are off, we’re off for a long time. So just make the most out of the time in the UK while I can.”

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu adds tournament to her schedule as she chases early 2026 rankings breakthrough

The post Emma Raducanu makes revealing comment about wanting to ‘play less’ in 2026 appeared first on Tennis365.

Former world No 4 Guy Forget has described one of the possible reasons for Carlos Alcaraz’s split with Juan Carlos Ferrero as “ridiculous.”

It was revealed last Wednesday that Alcaraz and Ferrero had parted ways, bringing an end to a player-coach partnership that was formed in 2018.

Neither Alcaraz nor Ferrero have directly shared the reasons for the end of their partnership, but reports have shed some light on the situation

Reports in the Spanish media have claimed that the main reason for the split was that Ferrero was offered a reduced financial sum and some additional changes to the relationship that he was not happy with.

A source close to Ferrero, speaking to CLAY and RG Media, said: “What happened is very simple. The contract was annual.

“The 2025 contract ended at the end of November, and they waited until Saturday the 13th of this month to present a new one and until Monday the 15th at the first hour to sign it. Juan Carlos did not accept it, and they did not want to make any changes.”

According to CLAY, when that contract arrived, Ferrero had two days to read and sign it. He made a counter-offer that was not accepted.

Another source told CLAY and RG Media: “There were significant disagreements between Ferrero and Alcaraz’s father about how to manage the player’s career.”

In an interview with Tennis Actu, Forget weighed in on the news and addressed the reported reasons for the split.

“Well… I’m a little surprised. I think, like many tennis enthusiasts, because the collaboration was more than fruitful. We know how much Carlos Alcaraz owes to Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has coached him for many years,” said the Frenchman.

“And we don’t really know the root of the problem—I wouldn’t say ‘the problem’, but what really happened between them — especially since it’s just a few weeks before the next season. So we can imagine they’re already preparing.

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“So, it’s not, I imagine, the ideal scenario for Carlos Alcaraz. But when a collaboration goes so well with so many good results, we can always ask ourselves: will the future be even better? It will be difficult to do better.

“The first hypothesis, I find that a bit strange, because today the sums generated by players like Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner are so exorbitant that. I mean, a coach like Juan Carlos Ferrero today, I can’t imagine he wasn’t paid what he was worth.

“So if that’s really the case, it’s frankly ridiculous, because a player who must be generating, I don’t know, 30 million euros a year, who pays his coach 800,000 or 1,500,000… in the end, it brings him so much more than he can possibly pay for anyway.

“The second reason, which is probably the most plausible in my opinion, is that at some point, the accumulated tensions with those around him — rightly or wrongly — often when things aren’t going very well, aren’t always directed at the player directly: it’s the fiancée, the wife, the father, the mother, the agent.

“Sometimes, we know that there are agents who are currently at the heart of a problem and who, in a way, are fuelling the conflicts.

“What’s a shame, I repeat, is that this collaboration is so effective, so fruitful. We know what we have, we don’t know what we’ll have next.

“When you have a young champion like that, at 22, having won everything with his mentor… and suddenly, the balance is disrupted.”

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The post Carlos Alcaraz questioned over ‘ridiculous’ possible reason for Juan Carlos Ferrero split appeared first on Tennis365.

2025 proved to be another year of Grand Slam dominance for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who once again swept all four major titles up for grabs.

Having now won eight straight Grand Slam singles titles between them from the start of 2024, the ‘New 2’ look well-established at the very top of the sport, and it is tough to predict if and when any players can disrupt their Grand Slam run.

However, looking at a range of factors including age, experience, consistency, and potential, we rank the five most likely contenders who could end their dominance and win a first Grand Slam men’s singles title in 2026.

5) Jack Draper

Current Ranking: No 10
Best Grand Slam Result: SF, 2024 US Open

Draper looked set to establish himself as a dominant force in the men’s game after a strong end of 2024 and start of 2025, only for his latest set of injury struggles to disrupt his season.

The Brit played just one match after his second-round exit at Wimbledon, though he still ended the year ranked 10th, largely thanks to his stunning Indian Wells triumph in March.

Draper’s big-hitting game fits perfectly into the current climate of men’s tennis, and he has had a solid level of success on all surfaces, particularly on his favoured hard courts.

Having reached a major semi-final and won a Masters 1000 title across the past two seasons, he could well be a Grand Slam threat if he can regain consistent fitness.

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4) Taylor Fritz

Current Ranking: No 6
Best Grand Slam Result: F, 2024 US Open

Fritz’s 2025 season was not quite as spectacular as his 2024 campaign, though the US No 1 still comfortably finished inside the top 10 — and looks set to contend in 2026.

Finishing the year ranked sixth in the world, the American’s opening months of the year were disrupted by injury, though a strong second half of the season saw him reach the Wimbledon semi-final and US Open quarter-final.

Fritz was also a US Open finalist back in 2024, and there has been a general upward trend in his Slam consistency in recent years, with the American also now well-established as an elite player.

Consistently threatening Alcaraz and Sinner remains his biggest challenge, but the 28-year-old’s big serving and growing confidence make a strong Slam run possible.

3) Alexander Zverev

Current Ranking: No 3
Best Grand Slam Result: F, 2020 US Open, 2024 French Open, & 2025 Australian Open

2025 was far from the best season of Zverev’s career, yet a year-end ranking of world No 3 keeps him well-placed as a top-level contender heading into 2026.

The German’s Slam form dipped as the season went on, but he was still a finalist at the Australian Open in January, and has now reached three major finals across his career.

The key question facing the 28-year-old is whether he has enough belief in the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments, and if he can turn the tide against Alcaraz and Sinner.

However, few can match Zverev’s experience of competing at the biggest events, and — if he is back fit and firing — could well once again feature in the very closing stages of major events.

2) Felix Auger-Aliassime

Current Ranking: No 5
Best Grand Slam Result: SF, 2021 US Open & 2025 US Open

A stunning end to 2025 saw Auger-Aliassime break new ground and reach a career-high of fifth in the ATP Rankings; could he now turn that into consistency at the Grand Slams?

Two early titles in 2025 were later followed by a run to the US Open semi-final for the Canadian, who then lifted a third title of the season in Brussels before reaching the Paris Masters final and ATP Finals semi-final.

That run in New York was Auger-Aliassime’s best Grand Slam run in several years, and the 25-year-old brings a lot of momentum into the new season, though his overall career has been patchy at times.

However, he is still only 25, and his aggressive brand of tennis — and growing confidence — mean more deep Grand Slam runs would not come as a surprise.

1) Ben Shelton

Current Ranking: No 9
Best Grand Slam Result: SF, 2023 US Open & 2025 Australian Open

Shelton is not the highest-ranked player on this list and still seems to be coming back from the injury that forced him to retire in the third round of the US Open last summer.

However, the American cracked the top 10 for the first time in 2025 and embarked on career-best runs at the first three majors of the season, suggesting even bigger things could be yet to come.

Shelton was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January — his second Slam semi-final in just three full years on tour — and then reached the second week of Roland Garros, before a Wimbledon quarter-final showing.

The 23-year-old also won his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto and, while Alcaraz and Sinner remain a big challenge for him, he still has plenty of untapped potential in his quest for major success.

Honourable mentions

Alex de Minaur: The Australian’s consistent improvement sees him well established inside the top 10, though a 0-6 record in Grand Slam quarter-finals is a concern.

Lorenzo Musetti: A French Open semi-finalist and US Open quarter-finalist in 2025, can Musetti — also a former Wimbledon semi-finalist — push on after a career-best year?

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Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Samuel Lopez took to social media to speak for the first time since the world No 1’s high-profile split with Juan Carlos Ferrero before deleting his message.

Lopez has taken the reins as Alcaraz’s main coach after the shock departure of Ferrero was announced on Wednesday last week.

Ferrero had been Alcaraz‘s head coach since 2018, when the Spaniard started attending his academy in Alicante as a 16-year-old.

Lopez, who coaches at Ferrero’s academy, joined Alcaraz’s team as his second coach in December 2024. Prior to this, Lopez had already coached Alcaraz at events Ferrero did not attend in 2022 and 2023.

It is yet to be confirmed whether Alcaraz will add another coach to his team to work alongside Lopez in 2026.

On Sunday, Lopez shared an update on his pre-season work with Alcaraz on his Instagram page.

“Pre-season first week completed,” Lopez wrote.

“After passing the medical checkup we started off with good sensations, hard work, and commitment.

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“We continue to train with enthusiasm, ambition, and unity, focused on growing day by day and continuing to make history in this sport.”

The post featured an image of Alcaraz, Lopez, Alcaraz’s brother Alvaro, as well as Alcaraz’s agent and two of his fitness coaches. It also included a video of Alcaraz practising.

Curiously, though, Lopez has since removed the post, and he has not shared any further updates.

What has Samuel Lopez said about coaching Carlos Alcaraz?

Lopez spoke about his philosophy for coaching Alcaraz in an interview with TNT Sports in February.

“We have put a lot of emphasis on him (Alcaraz) being himself. Being very clear about what he has to do, his routines, his attitude, being above all else,” the 55-year-old said.

“Worrying a lot about that and not so much about tennis, and then building Carlos Alcaraz. He is achieving this.

“It is one of the objectives we set ourselves in the preseason. Things are not easy, but we have taken another step this week.

“We have to continue along this line. He is not at an advanced age, because he is very young, but he does have some tennis experiences in which he has to get to know himself more and more.”

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READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz’s contract ‘ultimatum’ to Juan Carlos Ferrero was ‘outrageous’, says Olympic medallist

The post Carlos Alcaraz’s coach makes ‘unity’ comment as he breaks silence after Juan Carlos Ferrero split appeared first on Tennis365.

The manner of Carlos Alcaraz’s split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has been criticised and labelled “outrageous” by a former basketball star and Olympic medallist.

Alcaraz announced on Wednesday last week that his incredibly successful collaboration with Ferrero had ended, with the news shocking the tennis world.

The Spanish superstar started working with Ferrero as a 16-year-old in 2018 and won all 24 of his titles, including his six majors, with the former world No 1 in his team.

The 22-year-old finished the 2025 campaign as the world No 1 after securing eight titles and reaching 11 finals.

Neither Alcaraz nor Ferrero have directly revealed the reasons for the end of their partnership, but reports have shed some light on the situation, with a source close to Ferrero sharing details to CLAY and RG Media.

“What happened is very simple,” the source stated.

“The contract was annual. The 2025 contract ended at the end of November, and they waited until Saturday the 13th of this month to present a new one and until Monday the 15th at the first hour to sign it. Juan Carlos did not accept it, and they did not want to make any changes.”

According to CLAY, when that contract arrived, Ferrero had two days to read and sign it. He made a counter-offer that was not accepted.

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Another source told CLAY and RG Media that: “There were significant disagreements between Ferrero and Alcaraz’s father about how to manage the player’s career.”

Frederic Weis, a former French basketball player who was a silver medallist at the 2000 Olympics, slammed the way in which the contract negotiations with Ferrero were reportedly handled by Alcaraz’s camp.

“What worries me is the ultimatum, the demand to respond within 48 hours,” Weis said on RMC Sport’s Les Grandes Gueules du Sport radio show

“It’s a very peculiar way of treating someone you’ve worked with for seven years. It’s outrageous.”

What has Juan Carlos Ferrero said about his departure from Carlos Alcaraz’s team?

Ferrero reacted to his split with Alcaraz in a heartfelt statement posted on Instagram, and the six most telling words came in the penultimate paragraph.

“I wish I could have continued,” the former world No 1 wrote.

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READ NEXT: Why Carlos Alcaraz may be forced to reunite with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after shock split

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Aryna Sabalenka’s showdown against Nick Kyrgios is set to be one of the most-watched tennis matches of 2025 as their ‘Battle of the Sexes’ clash continues to create huge debate, former British No 1 Greg Rusedski suggesting the contest is little more than a gimmick.

Sabalenka and Kyrgios are set to lock horns in Dubai on December 28, with the world No 1 female player set to compete on a smaller court than her male rival in a match that will see both players operating with just one serve.

Now Rusedski has claimed those rule changes have diluted the impact of the match, as he would have preferred to see a straight battle between the best female player in the game and a rival who has struggled to get on court due to injury issues since his appearance in the 2022 Wimbledon final.

“For it to be a real Battle of the Sexes, the court dimensions have to be the same and it has to be tennis,” said Rusedski, speaking on the second episode of the Off Court with Greg podcast, which will be released on Monday.

“It could be one set, but it has to be two serves. The court size has to be the same because that’s the way tennis is played.

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“Is this more of an exhibition and is Kyrgios going to take her along or is it going to be a real battle out there where they go toe-to-toe properly? We don’t know.

“Also, Kyrgios hasn’t really been on tour for three years, so we don’t know how that is going to work out if he is playing three full sets.

“There are three questions here. Yes you like it, no you don’t like it or is it a gimmick… and my opinion is I find it gimmicky.

“We have equal pay at the Slams now and that is 100 per-cent right. I would like to see that at the Masters series [WTA 1000 events] as well.”

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The decision give both players just one serve is designed to limit the power advantage Kyrgios will have over Sabalenka, but Rusedski fears that rule change may backfire on the Belarusian star.

“We know that Sabalenka has had problems on her serve in the past, so giving her one serve may be difficult,” he added. “Her second serve can be a little bit dodgy at time and there’s going to be a lot of stress in there because all eyeballs are on this event.

“Being in Dubai, the ball sails around a bit there, so that will be tough.

“I think this will be entertaining, but do we need it? I’m not sure.

“Yes, it will bring new eyes onto the sport, but if it doesn’t go well, it could create some damage.”

World No 12 Casper Ruud also appeared on the Off Court with Greg podcast, as he suggested the Battle of the Sexes match was “only for show”.

“If you really want to do it, you should have fair playing grounds,” said the Norwegian. “If it’s not the same court on both sides and two serves, it’s not the real deal.”

READ MORE: Nick Kyrgios accused of ‘representing misogyny’ in scathing Battle of the Sexes swipe

The post Former British No 1 finds a brutal word to describe Sabalenka vs Kygrios ‘Battle of the Sexes’ clash appeared first on Tennis365.

Victoria Mboko, Emma Raducanu and Alexandra Eala only had fleeting moments of success in 2025, but they are big contenders to make a huge impact on the WTA Tour next year.

Mboko enjoyed the best moment of the trio as she won the WTA 1000 event in front of her home fans at the Canadian Open in August.

British No 1 Raducanu has some big highs with strong runs at the new WTA Tour events at the Queen’s Club and in tight battles against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, while Eala made good progress up the WTA Rankings and reached her first tour final at Eastbourne.

Here is your Tennis365 guide to what the trio can target in 2026, with our ranking prediction for each.

Victoria Mboko

Current ranking: 18

Ranking target for 2026: Top 10

Mboko has a glorious chance to leap into the top 10 of the WTA Rankings in the first half of the new year, as she will be playing in much higher-profile events than she was at the same phase of last year.

She was finished last year ranked at No 333 and that meant she was not close to qualifying for any Grand Slam events. Instead, she was playing ITF World Tennis Tour events in the opening months of 2025 and while she won five of those tournaments between January and March, she was only picking up modest hauls of ranking points.

She will now be seeded at the Australian Open and probably at the French Open and Wimbledon, which will give Mboko a chance to boost her ranking before the 1,000 points from her memorable Canadian Open win drop off her record.

She will need time to adapt to her new status as a star of the game, but opportunity is knocking for Mboko in the first half of the new season.

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Emma Raducanu

Current ranking: 29

Ranking target for 2026: Top 16

The 2021 US Open champion had a year of highs and lows, but there were plenty of positives to take from a season that confirmed she can compete with the best when she is fit and firing.

Raducanu is a big event player and doesn’t appear to have too much motivation to play in lower-ranked events, so she needs to start 2026 with a bang to ensure the forward momentum she has in the WTA Rankings remains on course.

She reached the third round at the Australian Open last year and needs to match that to ensure her ranking does not slide, but Raducanu then has a big chance to make ground in the rankings as she had a run of defeats prior to her run to the quarter-finals at the Miami Open in March.

Staying fit and finding consistency will be key for Raducanu in 2026, but a place in the top 16 of the rankings a year from now is a realistic goal.

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Alexandra Eala

Current ranking: 53

Ranking target for 2026: Top 32

Eala’s breakthrough moment came as she made it through to the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami, with her win against Iga Swiatek amid that run confirming her class.

Eala then reached her first WTA Tour final on grass in Eastbourne and she could have won that match against Maya Joint, so the Filipino star will be eager to make up for that near miss my winning a first professional tournament next season.

She finished this year on a high note by winning a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games and that success could inspire her to make further leaps up the WTA Rankings next year.

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The post Emma Raducanu facing rankings peril as opportunity knocks for Victoria Mboko and Alex Eala appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek has reflected on finishing the 2025 campaign as the world No 2 as she also assessed that the players at the top of the WTA Tour “got more equal” in 2025.

The Polish superstar has 8,395 points, which puts her 2,495 points behind world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and 1,632 points ahead of third-ranked Coco Gauff.

Swiatek compiled a 64-17 (79%) win-loss record across the 20 events she played in 2025 (including the Billie Jean King Cup Finals).

The 24-year-old’s major season highlight was winning her maiden Wimbledon crown and sixth Grand Slam overall in July.

She also secured titles at the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati and the WTA 500 in Seoul, while she was a runner-up at the WTA 500 in Bad Homburg.

What did Iga Swiatek say about her year-end No 2 finish in 2025?

In an interview with CLAY and RG Media, Swiatek expressed her satisfaction at ending the season as the second-best player in the women’s game.

“I think finishing as No 2 is a great achievement,” Swiatek said.

“I think the level we’re all at got more equal. I think you could see that, especially during the WTA Finals, basically, any of us could win this tournament, we really played a lot of tight matches.

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“There are some players that obviously prefer some conditions or others who feel better in this or that part of the season…but I think overall we all are getting better in a really fast way.

“If I would serve, like, 185 kilometres per hour three years ago, I think it would be a game changer, and it would be amazing, but now [that] I actually learned to do that, I realised that girls are serving 195.

“It’s obviously not only about the speed. It is just an example, but I think tennis is evolving and we’re all presenting a pretty good level now.”

Swiatek added: “[2025 was the] longest season I ever played. The season was challenging, but I’m super proud of it.

“But I am also happy that it’s done, because I played a lot of matches this year. And the schedule was packed.”

Swiatek has spent 125 weeks as the world No 1, having first climbed to top spot in April 2022.

Sabalenka has been the world No 1 since overtaking Swiatek in October 2024.

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The post Iga Swiatek reveals if she is happy being world No 2 as she explains how WTA Tour has evolved appeared first on Tennis365.

Rumours are swirling over Jack Draper’s hopes of playing at the Australian Open, with fears growing that the British No 1 may need to take more time away from the game as he recovers from an arm problem.

Draper has not played a competitive match since he was forced to pull out of the US Open ahead of his second round match with an injury that has been troubling him for the second half of 2025.

The left hander who will toast his 24th birthday on Monday was due to play in the UTS Grand Final in London earlier this month, but he was forced to withdraw from the event curated by coach Patrick Mouratoglou as he admitted he ‘wasn’t ready’ to return.

Draper has been working on his preparations for the new season at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in London, but it is unclear how much time he is spending on court ahead of a potential return in the United Cup team event in just over a week.

Draper is due to team up with Emma Raducanu in what would be a star-studded Great Britain team, but there is no confirmation that he is ready to play and the comments from his team captain, Tim Henman, did not give any more clues.

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“[They are] moving in the right direction,” Henman told the United Cup website. “Obviously, Jack had a very difficult time … he’s building it up. He’s got Jamie Delgado now in his corner. So, a lot of experience there.

“He’s just got to keep working day in, day out to build it up so that he’s ready to be on the match court.

“Likewise with Emma, she’s been in Spain a bit with Francisco Roig, and she’s again looking to make sure she puts in the necessary work so that she can be ready to hit the ground running in Perth because we’re all aware of the matches we’ve got.”

While there has been no official word from his camp, the lack of updates on Draper’s condition and whether he is planning to travel to Australia has fuelled rumours in the British media that there may be a further delay in his return, which would rule him out of the first Grand Slam event of 2026.

The Brit was initially due to compete in the MGM Macau Tennis Masters exhibition event, taking place on December 27 and 28, but he confirmed he was not playing in that event earlier this month.

In a recent interview on The Tennis Podcast, Draper suggested he was making progress, as he looked ahead to 2026 with optimism.

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“The arm is getting better,” he said. “I started the year really well. Built off the form I had last year. I was playing a lot of matches, and I really felt like my game was developing every week and on all surfaces as well.

“The clay was something that I always wanted to play well on. I hadn’t yet proved it. Did well over the clay court season. But I did have a niggling arm pain from around Madrid time.

“Around Wimbledon and the French Open, it got quite painful, so I had to get it looked at. I had a bone injury in my humerus.

“From there, I took a bit of time but wanted to get back for the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year.

“The recovery was going well, I had a scan in the States and it looked all good, but then the pain was just too much when I got to the US, so I had to come home and take it really seriously. Take some time out. But now I feel like I am in a really good place, and I’m building up for hopefully 2026 being a great year.”

If Draper is forced to miss the Australian Open, he will be desperate to return to action by March, when the 1,000 ranking points he collected for winning the Indian Wells Masters in 2025 will drop off his total.

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The post Rumours swirl around Jack Draper as Australian Open decision looms large appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz’s decision to part company with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has been the big talking point in tennis this week, but could there be a reconciliation between the duo?

The tennis world was rocked by the news that the world No 1 had failed to agree a new contract to continue his long-running partnership with Ferrero in 2026, with the news leaving plenty of question marks over what comes next.

Alcaraz used Ferrero’s Academy as his training base and it is unclear whether that will now continue, while there is uncertainty over who will take over a lead coaching role that was filled by the former French Open champion since the young Spaniard started his professional career.

Finding a coach who has the same knowledge and passion for Alcaraz’s future will be a tough task and with the relatively unheralded Sami Lopez expected to take over from Ferrero for now, the big test of what comes next will arrive at next month’s Australian Open.

Alcaraz has a 33-2 winning record in matches he has played when Ferrero was not in his box, but he has always had his mentor at the other end of a phone for those matches.

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Now he is going it alone and if he revels in the freedom to make more decisions on his own terms, the split may prove to be the right decision at this phase of Alcaraz’s career.

Alternatively, if he fails to shine at the Australian Open, there is no reason why Alcaraz could not go back to Ferrero and try to resolve the differences to renew their partnership.

Widespread reports in the Spanish media confirm Ferrero was offered a reduced financial sum and some additional changes to the relationship that he was not happy with and that was the primary reason for the split. 

Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski spoke exclusively to Tennis365 about the Alcaraz-Ferrero split, as he suggested scheduling disputes may have been a factor in the decision to part ways.

“I’m not surprised,” Rusedski told Tennis365, ahead of the second episode of his new podcast Off Court with Greg, which will be released on Monday.

“I would not be surprised if there were some disagreements over scheduling over the last few weeks because Carlos got injured in the ATP Tour event in Tokyo, he then got injured again at the ATP Finals, but he has still be playing on the exhibition circuit.

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“You look at the recent documentary on Netflix and you can see that Carlos’s team want him to be ultra professional to try and reach the levels of the greats of the game like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

“You look at Jannik Sinner. He pulled out of the Davis Cup Finals and he is not playing any exhibitions. He is preparing for the new season. When Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were at the top, you didn’t see them playing too many exhibitions.

“The off-season is a crucial time of the year to prepare for the new season, but Carlos is at an age where he thinks he can keep going and nothing will happen to him. That might not be the case.”

Rusedski went on to suggest Alcaraz will struggle to replace Ferrero as he added: “How do you replace Ferrero? Who can do that job? It won’t be easy.

“He has been with Carlos from the start and he might find it hard to get a coach who can give him what Juan Carlos has given him up to this point in his career.”

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