Rating Raducanu's season - and what does future hold?

Emma Raducanu completed a half-century of matches in a season for the first time in her career.

They included a semi-final showing in Washington, plus a quarter-final in Miami and a last-16 appearance on the Rome clay at WTA 1000 level.

There were also chastening defeats by the world's elite on the Grand Slam stage and a frustrating conclusion in Asia with illness, a bad back and missed match points.

But the British number one's decision to curtail her season two weeks early, and miss events in Tokyo and Hong Kong because of lingering sickness, is a sound one.

Raducanu has contested 22 tournaments this year, and was also in Auckland and set to play on New Year's Eve before withdrawing because of her back. That is more than enough.

She now has 11 weeks to recover, rest and train for the 2026 season.

Raducanu will not need to worry about a coach in that period, as she and Francisco Roig - who was part of Rafael Nadal's team for his 22 Grand Slam titles - have agreed to continue a partnership which began in August.

Physically, the 22-year-old has proved a lot more robust - even if her back is becoming a familiar foe.

It cost her vital preparation time last December and was a regular irritation on the clay and grass before stopping her in her tracks at the Ningbo Open this week.

"Structurally I'm more prone and susceptible to picking up things like this," Raducanu said of her back in May.

There were many periods this summer when she looked a top-20 player. Her serve has become a more potent weapon, with the longer motion offering the potential for greater power and precision.

Raducanu believes it is also now more reliable in tight moments, and she was generally very adept at saving break points this season.

Of Raducanu's 22 defeats, only seven came against lower-ranked opponents, with three in the past month alone.

But beating the very best, who often possess greater power, has proved beyond her so far.

She lost 10 of her 11 matches against top-10 players in 2025, the exception being a victory over Emma Navarro in Miami in March.

She was very competitive against world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Wimbledon's Centre Court - and took her to a third set tie-break in Cincinnati - but there was little room for encouragement elsewhere.

After a 6-1 6-2 loss to ninth seed Elena Rybakina at the US Open, Raducanu reflected on where she needs to improve to change the narrative.

"My serve - it's been better, but I think it can get better [still]," she told BBC Sport.

"The ball after the serve as well, so I'm ready for a fast return. I think that's where I still have some big work to do.

"I think starting the point is extremely important when you are playing at that kind of level."

Raducanu developed an unfortunate habit in Asia of failing to convert match points.

Last year's Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova saved three against her in Seoul, and then world number five Jessica Pegula did exactly the same in Beijing a week later.

More concerning, though, was the way Raducanu faded in the deciding set of those matches. Against Pegula, Raducanu went for broke and subsided quickly.

This was not something you could have accused her of over the summer, and was perhaps a sign of a body and mind wearied by nine months on the road.

Raducanu and Roig are planning a pre-season training block at the end of the year, and 2026 could begin with the United Cup team competition in Sydney and Perth.

As Raducanu is now all but certain to finish the year as British number one, she and Jack Draper will be GB's team if they take up the opportunity to play in the tournament.

Ranking points will be on offer and could yet be crucial as Raducanu, the current world number 29, tries to squeeze among the 32 seeds for the Australian Open later that month.

As well as helping her learn how to conjugate Spanish verbs in the back of the car on the way to work, Raducanu has credited Roig with a "confident and calm presence that rubs off when I am on court".

Time to work through changes on the practice court has been limited so far because of the sport's frenetic schedule.

But there is now time to make some improvements and recharge before next season begins.