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  • Emma Raducanu’s US Open dominance continues as she moves one win from rankings breakthrough

    Emma Raducanu’s fine form continued with another dominant win at the US Open on Wednesday.

    The world No 36 needed exactly one hour to dispatch Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen inside Court Louis Armstrong, ending the 23-year-old’s historic run with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-1 victory.

    Raducanu’s opening-round win over Ena Shibahara lasted 62 minutes and had been her quickest-ever victory at a Grand Slam, though that milestone ultimately only lasted two days.

    It was a close to perfect performance for the 22-year-old, landing 79% of first serves in play, hitting 16 winners, and breaking her opponent four times.

    “I’m very pleased with how I played today,” said Raducanu on court. “Second round after two days, it kind of breaks the rhythm a little bit

    “I was playing Janice, a super dangerous opponent. She was playing extremely well, and I thought any ball that I put mid-court, that wasn’t necessarily good enough, she just put away easily.

    “I’m really pleased with how I performed.”

    Having not won a match at the US Open since her stunning triumph at this event four years ago, Raducanu is now back into the third round at Flushing Meadows.

    It is the fourth time that the 22-year-old has progressed into the third round of a major, and the six games dropped across her two matches so far is the least amount of games she has ever dropped getting to this stage of a Grand Slam.

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    Victory was also her 26th win of 2025, the most she has ever recorded in an individual season, with still over two months of tournaments still to come this year.

    “I think the consistency of doing good practice days every day, building on that,” responded Raducanu, when asked about the key to her improvement.

    “After Miami, I did some pretty good work, I started to do it, but I also feel in the last few weeks I’ve really stepped up with what I’m doing on and off the court.

    “I’m really happy that I have those people [Francisco Roig and Jane O’Donoghue] in my corner over there, and I’m really grateful for them.

    “I’m really looking forward to building day by day, doing my best – that’s all I can do. I’m putting a lot of trust in the work behind the scenes, so it takes a little bit of pressure off.

    “But, at the same time, whenever you play a match on a big stadium, you feel a bit of pressure – but I like to try and use it as much as I can.”

    After her opening two wins, Raducanu is provisionally up three places to world No 33 in the WTA Live Rankings, on 1,546 points.

    However, should she triumph in her third-round clash on Friday, the Brit could be in line for a hugely significant surge.

    Raducanu would move to 1,656 points with victory in round three, a total that would propel her inside the top 30 of the WTA Rankings for the first time since September 2022.

    But things are unlikely to be easy for the Brit, who could face ninth seed Elena Rybakina in round three.

    The Kazakh faces qualifier Tereza Valentova on Wednesday, though she dropped just one game when she beat Raducanu in Sydney three years ago.

    Read Next: Emma Raducanu and Alex Eala seal rankings breakthroughs as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic power on – US Open predictions

    The post Emma Raducanu’s US Open dominance continues as she moves one win from rankings breakthrough appeared first on Tennis365.

  • New No 1 American set to be crowned at US Open as two names battles for the prize

    The battle for the American No 1 ranking is in full swing and there is every chance we will have a new holder of the title by the end of this tournament.

    Taylor Fritz has been the leading American player for some time, with his run to last year’s US Open final cementing his position in the top five of the ATP Rankings throughout 2025.

    Yet with the 1,200 points he collected in last year’s US Open dropping off his ranking at the end of this year’s tournament, Fritz’s status as America’s top player is under threat.

    Big-serving Ben Shelton is up to No 5 in the live ATP Rankings after his first round win against world No 135 Ignacio Buse.

    Next up for Shelton is a clash against experienced Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, with Fritz in line to take on South Africa’s Lloyd Harris.

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    Both will be expected to win their matches and make it into round three, but Fritz may be unable to stop Shelton overhauling him as America’s new No 1 unless he repeats his success of going all the way to the final of this year’s US Open.

    As Shelton went out in the third round of last year’s US Open, he has huge potential to make rankings gains if he can get deep into the second week in New York and he is talking up his hopes of achieving that goal after a strong first win against Ignacio Buse.

    “It’s starting to feel like home for me. This is the best court in tennis,” Shelton said after his round one win at Flushing Meadows.

    “It’s my favourite place to play: favourite court, favourite tournament. So opening day, first match, there are always a little bit of nerves, but I’m really happy I came out here and you guys got to see me do my thing. I’m really appreciative of everyone who came out.”

    “We take it one step at a time. I’m trying to get better every day,” Shelton said. “I think that as soon as you start looking ahead of yourself, you stumble over your own feet. So for me, it’s one match at a time, one day at a time and just grateful to be out here. 

    “I’m happy to come back here every year. This is the one for sure. This is the pinnacle of tennis for me, what I dreamed about when I was a kid.”

    Shelton is sitting at No 4 in the ATP Race, which charts points collected in 2025, and that position highlights his impressive displays over the course of this calendar year.

    Fritz is down in sixth position in the ATP Race, with the top eight players on that list qualifying for the lucrative end-of-season ATP Finals.

    READ NEXT: 2025 US Open: Points being dropped by Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz

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  • Has Coco Gauff already written off this year’s US Open after candid admission?

    Has Coco Gauff already written off this year’s US Open after candid admission?

    Coco Gauff has suggested she will need time before the impact of her new coach Gavin MacMillan to kick in, with her hopes of success at this year’s US Open secondary to her long-term goals.

    That was the impression she gave in a brutally honest press conference after her tense first round win against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, with the issues she is working with McMillan to solve in evidence during her first round match in New York.

    There was plenty of surprise around the tennis world when a player who won the French Open in June changed her coaching set-up in the days before the US Open.

    Gauff’s move to dispose of the services of coach Matt Daly and hire Gavin MacMillan days before the start of the US Open was an unusual move for a player who won a Grand Slam title a little over two months ago, but she explained her reasoning prior to the start of the tournament.

    “It was a very sudden decision,” she said. “Gavin magically became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game, at least, and I had to go with what I was feeling.

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    “I think Matt is a great coach and a great person and 100% love working with him. Yeah, I mean, we obviously had a very successful partnership, but I’m just looking at long term.

    “I know Gavin has had experience with this before so, hoping I can just take on his knowledge and see what can happen.

    “It was a decision I had to make and by this time next year, I’m sure I will be serving a lot better. It’s all about the mechanics and like learning a new language. It’s just about trying that new [service] motion and when I do it well, it always provides a good result.

    “The other thing is not just thinking about the serve. I need to think about how I will play out the point. It’s not a mental thing. It’s a biomechanics thing and I’m just working hard to get it right.”

    MacMillan is credited with rebuilding the service motion of world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and even though Gauff has enjoyed great success in her career, that is clearly an area she needs to improve on if she wants to fulfil her potential.

    Gauff has been battling nerves and technical issues on her serve throughout her career and MacMillan has a big task on his hands to find a solution, with her opening match against Tomljanovic highlighting the issues all over again.

    The 2023 US Open champion had a look of anguish on her face as she struggled with her serve in the first set against Tomljanovic and while her final double fault count of 10 is not as bad as some of her performances in recent years, the unforced error count of 59 in her 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 win was concerning.

    Pictured: Coco Gauff and Gavin MacMillan

    Coco Gauff and coach Gavin MacMillan.

    Gauff’s forehand looked shaky against Tomljanovic and combined with a serve that she pushes into court rather than hitting through it when nerves take hold, this was a performance that had some worryingly familiar flaws for the American.

    “It was a tough match,” she added. “I had chances for it to be straight sets. Ajla was tough. It wasn’t the best, but I’m happy to get through to the next round.

    “I had so many chances and [I knew] eventually it was going to come. I had chances to close out in two, I had chances to go up a double break so many times, so yeah I was just like ‘eventually one of these are going to go my way and it ended up happening.

    “It’s tough going through a match and fighting those inner battles. It’s great to get through it.”

    Gauff looked like an athlete who was trying to compute too much information against Tomljanovic, with the decision to hire MacMillan and try to make changes to her serve while also competing in a Grand Slam likely to end her hopes of winning this US Open.

    But her vision is long-term and the comment that she expected to be back in New York next year with her serving problems resolved, highlighting how this is a long-term plan for an inspiring young woman who is not afraid to confront her demons in the full glare of the watching world.

    Coco described the process of changing coaches as “mentally exhausting” after the match and if she performs as she did against Tomljanovic, her US Open challenge could end in her next match.

    The experienced Donna Vekic lies in wait for Gauff in round two and after the Croatian beat her in convincing fashion on her favoured clay courts at last year’s Olympics in Paris, this looks set to be a demanding test for the No 3 seed, who appears to be in a period of transition in her game.

    Gauff may have been wise to wait until the end of the season to change her coaching set-up, with changes of this magnitude not ideal when she is playing in her home Grand Slam and pressure and expectations are already inflated to debilitating levels.

    READ NEXT: Coco Gauff admits ‘it wasn’t the best’ as old problems resurface

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  • Emma Raducanu’s next opponent – 9 facts about game changer Janice Tjen

    Janice Tjen created one of the fairy tale stories of the first round at the US Open as she beat 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova to win her first match on a Grand Slam stage and now she has set up a dream second round clash with 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

    Tjen admitted she was inspired by Raducanu’s amazing win at Flushing Meadows four years ago, as the teenager came through qualifying and won ten matches to take the title without dropping a set.

    Young Tjen was watching from Pepperdine University in California, where she was a sociology student and last Sunday, she became the first Indonesian player for more than 20 years to win a Grand Slam singles match.

    “When Emma won the tournament and (was) having an incredible run here, I was actually in college, and I was injured at the time, so I got to watch a lot of tennis,” said Tjen.

    “Just seeing her doing it made me inspired to be able to do it, as well. Emma is very big. Everyone loves Emma at home. She’s a very well known player, and I’m just excited for the opportunity.”

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    The tennis world will be watching when Raducanu takes on Tjen on Wednesday and here are ten big facts around a player who will achieve a career high ranking if she can beat Raducanu:

    * Tjen is bidding to become the first Indonesian player, man or woman, to reach the singles 3rd round at a Grand Slam since 2000 Wimbledon, when Yayuk Basuki reached the 3rd round.

    * She advanced to the 2nd round after defeating No. 24 seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the 1st round on Sunday for her first WTA Tour-level match-win and her first match-win against a top 100 opponent.

    * By reaching the 2nd round of the main draw, Tjen has become the first Indonesian player, man or woman, to reach the singles 2nd round at a Grand Slam since 2003 Wimbledon, when Angelique Widjaja reached the 2nd round.

    * By qualifying for the main draw, Tjen became the first Indonesian player, man or woman, to compete in the singles main draw at a Grand Slam since the 2004 US Open, when Widjaja made her final Grand Slam singles appearance.

    * Tjen defeated No. 22 seed Varvara Lepchenko from America 6-3, 6-1, Maja Chwalinska from Poland 7-5, 7-5 and No. 3 seed Aoi Ito from Japan 6-1, 6-2 in the 3 rounds of US Open qualifying last week to qualify for the main draw at a Grand Slam on her first attempt. It was her first appearance at a Grand Slam in qualifying or otherwise.

    * Tjen leads the ITF World Tennis Tour for most women’s singles titles in 2025 with six. She also led the ITF World Tennis Tour for most women’s singles titles in 2024 with seven, despite only competing from June onwards.

    * Tjen competed in four professional events between June 2019 and June 2024 – one appearance for Indonesia in Billie Jean King Cup competition in March 2020 and 3 ITF World Tennis Tour events in California, USA in June-October 2022.

    * Tjen played college tennis in the US, representing the University of Oregon in 2020-21 and Pepperdine University in 2021-24. She was the 2024 NCAA Women’s Doubles Runner-up alongside Savannah Broadus.

    * Tjen broke inside the WTA Top 200 for the first time on 14 July at No 199. She reached a career-high ranking of No 147 on 18 August and is currently ranked at No. 149 having begun 2025 ranked at No 412.

    READ NEXT: What Janice Tjen said about Emma Raducanu ahead of US Open Round 2 clash

    The post Emma Raducanu’s next opponent – 9 facts about game changer Janice Tjen appeared first on Tennis365.

  • Emma Raducanu on target for huge rankings breakthrough in final weeks of 2025

    Emma Raducanu had set herself a target of being in the top 32 of the WTA Rankings at the start of 2026, which would ensure she is seeded for the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open.

    Yet her ambitions could be even more lofty as there is a real chance she could be among the top 16 seeds if she continues her positive performances in what is left of this tennis season.

    Raducanu reached a career-high of No 10 after her brilliant US Open win in 2021, but that position was not sustained as she needed time to adjust to life on the WTA Tour after her incredible breakthrough in New York in what was only her second appearance in a Grand Slam tournament.

    She slipped outside the top 300 of the rankings after injuries and poor form following her initial breakthrough, but Raducanu’s second coming offers real potential for more sustained success.

    After an empathic win in her opening US Open match as she beat Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2, Raducanu was in bullish mood as her surge in form continued.

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    The joy has been back in Raducanu’s game in recent weeks after some solid win on grass courts and now that trademark smile is back on her face at a venue that provided her with her finest moment.

    “I think now is the first time that I feel like I can come back to the US Open and really enjoy the memories that I made here,” she said.

    “I can be proud of that and see it as a happy place. So for that, I feel very grateful for and very pleased about. So I feel in a much better place now.

    “I’ve not won a match here in a long time. It has been on my mind. It’s been four years, and it’s a very special tournament for me. I did feel different coming into it this year. I felt like I was doing the right things day to day, but still, it’s in the back of your head. So I’m just very pleased to have overcome that.”

    That win against Shibahara fired Raducanu up to No 34 in the live WTA Rankings and she will break back into the top 30 on that list if she beats qualifier Janice Tjen in her second round match.

    Raducanu will be a big favourite to beat Tjen as she is should have too much power and invention for an opponent ranked at No 149 in the world who won her first Grand Slam match when she beat 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in an upset result on Sunday.

    If Raducanu beats Tjen, she is likely to face a much bigger test as the in-form Elena Rybakina is likely to be lying in wait in round three.

    That match may well end Raducanu’s US Open hopes for 2025, but she has a big chance to make more leaps up the rankings in what is left of this year.

    Injuries affected Raducanu at this point of 2024 and it means she had just 70 points to defend in the final months of this year.

    She will also be competing in bigger tournaments than she might have been last year due to her improved ranking so there will be chances for her to make up real ground on the players ranked ahead of her in the hard court swing in Asia that will include WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan.

    Raducanu would only need to win a handful of matches to break into the top 20 of the rankings in those events and she is also likely to play in WTA 500 events in the coming weeks.

    READ NEXT: ‘I honestly think Emma Raducanu could win the US Open’, says Brit’s former coach

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  • What John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova said about Carlos Alcaraz’s new US Open haircut

    Carlos Alcaraz’s bold new haircut has caused a stir at the 2025 US Open, and John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova have weighed in.

    The Spanish star surprised observers by appearing for a practice session at Flushing Meadows on Monday with a buzz cut.

    The five-time Grand Slam champion’s new style drew further attention later that day as he opened his US Open campaign with an impressive 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win over Reilly Opelka.

    Alcaraz has explained he was forced to go for a very short shave due to his brother Alvaro making a mistake when cutting his hair in New York.

    The 22-year-old has previously flown in his barber Victor Martinez for haircuts during tournaments in Europe.

    While the role was handed to Alcaraz’s brother this time, McEnroe suggested the world No 2 should have visited a barber in New York.

    “First of all his haircut… did he get the buzz cut from his hair stylist in Spain? He brought him in at Wimbledon,” the seven-time major singles champion told ESPN.

    “I’m wondering, because you can get that for 20 bucks in the city.”

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    Sharapova, who was with McEnroe in the commentary box, could not look past Alcaraz’s new style when asked about the Spaniard’s rise in the sport.

    “I haven’t gotten to the tennis. I’m still stuck at the buzz cut. It’s so low maintenance. And he just did it. That’s a good effort,” said the five-time Grand Slam winner.

    “I’d be so superstitious. But that’s what you have to love about him is just his ability to be so free and so confident and have this particular aura about him that transcends the game.”

    In his press conference, Alcaraz was asked about the response he has had to his haircut.

    “I mean, since I just show the people my haircut, I didn’t see anything else in talking about my haircut,” said the 2022 US Open champion.

    “Some people like it. Some people don’t like it. To be honest, I’m just laughing about the reaction of the people.

    “It is what it is. So I can’t do anything else right now, so I’m just laughing about everything that they are talking about my haircut.”

    READ NEXT: The 8 youngest men to reach second round of four Grand Slams in same year: Joao Fonseca ahead of Rafael Nadal

    The post What John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova said about Carlos Alcaraz’s new US Open haircut appeared first on Tennis365.

  • Alarming Coco Gauff service stats highlight why she made big coaching change

    Coco Gauff’s US Open campaign gets underway on Tuesday night, and the build-up to her round-one match has been dominated by one huge talking point.

    It was confirmed last week that Gauff had split with coach Matt Daly after an 11-month partnership, the pair parting ways with just a week until the final major tournament of 2025.

    Changing coaches just days before a Grand Slam is not a move that many would even consider, but past coaching alterations have worked for the 21-year-old in the past.

    And, with new coach Gavin MacMillan having previously fixed Aryna Sabalenka’s serving struggles, she may have found the right person to banish her own service woes once and for all.

    Gauff’s partnership with Daly, which began after the US Open last year, should ultimately be considered a success.

    The American won her second Grand Slam singles title at the French Open this spring, and triumphed at the China Open and WTA Finals at the tail end of 2024.

    However, when you dig further into her service numbers, the reason for Gauff’s sudden decision becomes more than clear.

    Alarming statistics

    No woman served more double faults than Gauff on the WTA Tour last year, and the American looks set to top that unfortunate list once again in 2025.

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    The American has hit a staggering 320 double faults in 2025, heading into the start of her US Open campaign, an average of 6.8 double faults across her 47 matches so far this season.

    While that may not sound too alarming on paper, it stands out significantly across the rest of the WTA field.

    Gauff has served 95 more double faults than Alycia Parks (225), who sits in second place in the double fault standings this season.

    In third place, Ekaterina Alexandrova (215) is 105 behind, with Jelena Ostapenko (211) 109 double faults behind in fourth.

    In contrast to Gauff, world No 1 Sabalenka has served just 122 double faults across 61 matches this year, an average of just two double faults per match.

    Meanwhile, world No 2 Iga Swiatek has served 175 double faults ahead of action in New York, an average of 2.87 per match this season.

    Sabalenka has an impressive 217 aces compared to her 122 double faults, while Swiatek’s 180 aces are just ahead of her 175 double faults.

    However, Gauff has served only 138 aces this year, giving her a -182 differential in aces to double faults this season.

    Compared to her two main rivals, Gauff’s first serve and first serve points win percentage are pretty level at the top of the game.

    The American has landed 60% of first serves in play this season, and has won 69.5% of those points.

    Sabalenka has a 62.4% first-serve percentage for 2025, and her 68% of points won is slightly less than Gauff, with Swiatek holding a 62% first-serve percentage and a 69.3% points won record for 2025.

    However, while she is narrowly ahead of both Sabalenka and Swiatek in terms of first serve points won, her second-serve stats are alarming.

    The world No 3 has won just 42.7% points on her second serve in 2025, compared to 50.5% for Sabalenka and 50.3% for Swiatek.

    Gauff has also held in 68.7% of her service games, which puts her considerably behind Sabalenka on 76.6% and Swiatek on an impressive 78.1%.

    The fact that Gauff has been able to win as much as she has in recent months and remain high in the WTA Rankings is a testament to how strong other areas in her game are.

    However, there can be no denying that a huge improvement is needed in regards to serving, with this proving an obvious weakness in her game.

    If the 21-year-old can fix her service struggles, you would think she could achieve even greater success than she already has.

    Read Next: The 7 men to defend US Open title: Can Jannik Sinner end 17-year wait for successful defence?

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  • Carlos Alcaraz explains reason for ‘horrible’ haircut after making it 19-0 in Grand Slam first-round matches

    Frances Tiafoe called it “horrible”, but Carlos Alcaraz has explained that he was forced to shave his hair off following a misunderstanding with his barber brother.

    A day before his first-round match at the 2025 US Open, Alcaraz had his usual long hair with a stubble beard, but then on the morning of his clash against Reilly Opelka, he arrived with a fresh cut at the practice grounds at Flushing Meadows.

    It set the tongues wagging on social media while a video of Tiafoe and Alcaraz joking in the locker room gym also made the roundsd on the internet.

    After his win over Yoshito Nishioka, the American was asked about the Spaniard’s haircut and replied: “Yeah, it’s horrible. It’s terrible.

    “I mean, it’s definitely terrible. He’s my guy though. It’s funny. I looked at him and I was like, I guess you’re aerodynamic.

    “[Alcaraz’s coach] Juan Carlos “Mosquito” was laughing. He was like, ‘Yeah, he’s faster than he already was.’ I was like, ‘Well, that’s a problem.’

    “Yeah, I don’t know who told him that it’s good. I don’t know who told him to do that, but it’s terrible. From a guy who gets haircuts week in, week out, and prides myself on good haircuts, it’s horrendous.

    “At the end of the day, it’s Carlos, and that’s my guy. But yeah, he needs to get with me. He needs to get with me for sure.”

    Alcaraz went on to win his match against Opelka as he claimed a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory for his 19th consecutive first-round win at Grand Slams, joining greats Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal on the list of players to start their major careers with a 19-0 record.

    But after the match, all the focus was on Alcaraz’s haircut and he was asked about Tiafoe’s comments and said: “Frances is lying. No, come on. Yeah, I saw the video. He showed up here saying that it is terrible.

    “I know he’s lying. I know he likes the haircut. He likes it. He told me. So no, not hear anything about coming from his mouth.”

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    But he then went on to explain exactly what went wrong as his brother Alvaro got things horribly wrong.

    “Quite different I guess. I felt like my hair was really long already,” the five-time Grand Slam winner said. “And before the tournament I said that I really want to get a haircut.

    “Suddenly my brother just misunderstood with the machine. He just cut it and the only way to fix it is just to shave it off. To be honest it’s not that good… it’s not that bad I guess.”

    Alcaraz has in the past flown in his barter Victor Martinez – who goes as “Victor Barber” on social media – for tournaments in Europe, but it wasn’t possible for the tournament in the United States.

    “New York is too far away for Victor. I’m not really into hair at all. I’m the guy who thinks like, ‘okay hair grows,’ and in a few days it’s gonna be okay I guess. It just happened and that’s it.”

    The post Carlos Alcaraz explains reason for ‘horrible’ haircut after making it 19-0 in Grand Slam first-round matches appeared first on Tennis365.

  • Jack Draper opens up on his body transformation after revealing fitness secrets

    Jack Draper has arrived at the US Open looking fit and hungry after his grass court season fell flat and he has revealed he has been hitting the gym with relish as he aims to lift a first Grand Slam title.

    Draper has enjoyed a fine 2025, after winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in March and storming into the top five of the ATP Rankings.

    Now he is targeting ending the domination of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the men’s game, with his appetite for hard work building as he sets his sights on the biggest prizes in the game.

    Draper’s new clothing deal with Vuori has seen him wearing sleeveless shirts since his arrival at Flushing Meadows, with his bulging arm muscles in evidence during his run to the semi-finals of the revamped mixed doubles event alongside America’s Jessica Pegula.

    The British No 1 has struggled with his physical conditioning on court at the start of his career, especially in hot conditions and it seems he is doing all he can to address that issue.

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    “I have worked incredibly hard to improve my physicality on the court,” said Draper told the BBC.

    “I think part of it is my genetics and growing into a bit more of a man’s body. I think that took me a long time.”

    “I’ve been leaving no stone unturned. I’ve been doing a lot of leg strength, a lot of cardio work and a lot of versa-climber.

    “Ultimately, I’m doing stuff where you’re shocking your body all the time and working it as hard as possible to get the best gains.

    “I have started to really enjoy improving in the [gym] aspect.

    “Before I didn’t really want to push myself. I didn’t really want to feel strong almost, but I feel great in myself now and I understand the benefits it has on the match court and on these big stages, as well.”

    Draper told Tennis365 last year that he is keen to mount a sustained challenge to world No 1 Sinner and his big rival Alcaraz, yet he has come up short in that daunting mission as the dominant players in the men’s game have shared the last seven Grand Slam titles between them.

    Now Draper has reiterated his eagerness to take on Sinner and Alcaraz, as the No 5 seed suggested the time has come to end their run of success.

    “I don’t want to feel like we are just letting them win titles,” he added. “I want to keep going after them, keep on improving, and hopefully soon be competing with them.

    “I feel good. I love being here in New York. In these tournaments, I’m never thinking at the start of the week what I’m going to be doing at the end of the tournament.

    “I’m just focusing match by match. Obviousl,y I play on Monday, haven’t played for a while, so I’m looking forward to just ultimately getting out there for my first round, competing hard and then go from there.”

    The post Jack Draper opens up on his body transformation after revealing fitness secrets appeared first on Tennis365.

  • Emma Raducanu reveals big message given to her by new coach Francisco Roig

    Emma Raducanu has opened up on the information she is has been given by new coach Francisco Roig, after getting her US Open campaign off to a flying start.

    The British No 1 was in clinical form on Louis Armstrong Stadium as she beat Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-1 6-2.

    She then sat down with Sky Sports to assess the impact made by her latest coach Francisco Roig, who has been part of her team since he time with Mark Petchey came to an end after Wimbledon.

    Rafael Nadal’s former coach Roig was vocal and animated as he watched her win against Shibahara and Raducanu gave a positive update on the early phase of their partnership, as he suggest the message that has really hit a chord is the suggestion that she does not need to play perfect tennis in every match.

    “I’m really enjoying working with Francis. He’s a great person to have on and off the court,” Raducanu told Sky Sports Tennis.

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    “He is chatty and great fun off the court, we have a lot of laughs which definitely helps. He’s great at having that calm and composure about him, reassuring me that all the work we’re doing off the court doesn’t need to pay off straight away but I know we are working towards something and building day by day.

    “I can be pretty tough on myself sometimes. He just helps a lot with trying not to be such a perfectionist.”

    “I think the biggest milestones are I put a lot of trust in what I’m doing with Francisco on the practice court,” said Raducanu.

    “I think we’re just working really well, doing the right stuff on the practice court, and I just feel like I’m improving. To take confidence from what I’m doing behind the scenes and not just because I have won these matches on the tour. I’m doing a lot day to day. It’s going well, and I’m enjoying it.

    “I’m enjoying getting better, and the process of feeling like at the end of the day I’m satisfied I got a little bit better, and just repeating it. I think that’s probably the biggest success and reason to why I feel the way I do right now.”

    She was also asked about the words of encouragement provided by Roig, as she insisted it is hard to hear too much when she is in the heat of battle.

    “I really don’t hear much at all. It’s really difficult unless you’re at the box and you’re speaking very close and looking, it’s so hard to hear,” she added.

    “I probably don’t take in much of what he’s saying, but I think, when I feel like I really need it, then I will go and look and will understand.

    “But for the most part, especially when you’re in a match like Sunday, I felt like I had most things kind of under control on my side of the court. I just want to stay in my zone and keep going with what I’m doing.”

    The post Emma Raducanu reveals big message given to her by new coach Francisco Roig appeared first on Tennis365.