From her breakthrough at Wimbledon to winning the US Open as a qualifier - A look at Emma Raducanu's top 5 career-defining moments to date

Emma Raducanu has enjoyed a career filled with highs and lows so far. 

The British star stormed to Grand Slam glory aged just 18 but has since struggled to adapt to the brutal demands of playing on the WTA Tour regularly. Raducanu celebrated her 20th birthday on Sunday meaning her teenage years are now behind her. 

Therefore, we’ve decided to look back on the most defining moments of the Brit’s short career to date.

Having started 2021 ranked outside the top 300 in the world, Raducanu made her Grand Slam debut as a wildcard at Wimbledon last year. The Brit advanced to the third round in convincing fashion, becoming the youngest female British singles player to reach that stage since Elena Baltacha in 2002.

Though Raducanu was eventually forced to retire in the last 16, her performances captured the hearts of the public and many predicted that Britain had a future star on their hands.

Just a few months on from her maiden Grand Slam experience at Wimbledon, Raducanu won three qualifying matches to reach the US Open main draw. Ranked 150th in the world, the Brit stormed to the title without dropping a single set – becoming the first qualifier ever to win a major championship. In doing so, Raducanu also cemented her place as the new British number one.

Soon after her staggering US Open victory, Raducanu chose to part ways with her coach Andrew Richardson, who had led her to the title in New York. It was a move that surprised many, but the Brit cited a desire to work alongside someone with more Tour-level experience.

However, since getting rid of Richardson, Raducanu has tried multiple new coaches, with little success. Having ended her partnership with Dmitry Tursunov in October, the 20-year-old is now searching for her fifth full-time mentor in the last 16 months.

Winning the US Open catapulted Raducanu up the rankings and she cracked the world’s top 10 for the first time back in July. The Brit was to reach no higher, however, as a string of poor results and injury problems saw her fail to reach beyond the semi-finals of any tournament.

One year on from her famous triumph at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu could not repeat the same feat. Seeded 11th, the British number one lost to France's Alize Cornet in straight sets – becoming just the third woman in US Open history to lose in the first round as defending champion. Having failed to defend any of her points from 2021, Raducanu slipped outside of the world’s top 80 in the rankings.