ATP Tour
Raducanu confirms US Open absence as injury setback deepens
Raducanu will miss the US Open as her stress fracture recovery continues and ranking pressure builds.
Emma Raducanu will not feature at the US Open, with the Briton still recovering from the stress fracture that also ruled her out of Wimbledon.
In a statement relayed to Sky Sports, her team said: “After latest consultation with her team, Emma will have to miss the US Open.
“While she is working hard to rehab her stress fracture, given the nature of the injury, it needs time to heal. She is sad to be missing a tournament that is so special to her.”
The latest blow means Raducanu has missed much of the 2026 season so far. She did not play during the clay-court swing, and her run to the Queen’s final was her only grass-court tournament of the year.
On Sky Sports Tennis, Annabel Croft spoke about the repeated physical setbacks that have interrupted Raducanu’s progress. “It feels as if she’s been unbelievably unluck with the injury problems she’s faced throughout the course of her career. Don’t forget she’s had wrist surgery, feet problems, and now this stress fracture.
“And, you know there are so many injuries out there on the Tour, it seems like she never gets a clear run where she’s able to really go for it with her tennis, and her body, and her mind injury free. And just keep the momentum going because we’re all so excited with what she did at Queen’s Club, where she reached the final there just ahead of Wimbledon, where everyone is going ‘Wow’.
“She really ignited her tennis again and thing were really starting to look up, but this is just a major setback. It’s a tournament that is so special to her, that’s where she’s had her greatest success, a former US Open champion, and I’ve seen lots of pictures of her posting the boot on her leg, trying to serve still, keeping her racket going.
“Showing everybody that she’s doing everything she can, but clearly it’s not healed up and you need to be fully fit to play these tournaments. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she made that decision [to end her season now] and probably that wouldn’t be such a bad decision to take because you can fully heal, rest up, get as much treatment as possible, and then come out fully fit and raring to go at the start of next year.
“But the business side of tennis, I’m sure there’s a lot of enticing things coming her way down in Asia where she will want to play her best tennis there and she’ll be very much in demand.”
Croft also addressed the wider issue of rankings and recovery. “Who knows, maybe if there’s a worry about the ranking drop with so many points to defend, potentially that ranking could plummet. Although, she might benefit from the protected ranking.
“These factors have to be considered, but at the end of the day, your health is your wealth and that’s the most important factor. The problem for all of these players facing injury problems, and we see it for all those years with Juan Martin del Potro, everyone’s so worried about Alcaraz because it’s similar.
“Every time you go out there to practice, and I think Jack Draper’s alluded to this, you don’t know how much to push yourself because an injury that has been a problem, needs to be loaded up in training to see how far you can load it up before playing professional tennis matches.
“As we know on the Tour it’s so demanding what is required from all of these players and it’s relentless. If you get through one match, there’s one that’s coming a day later. Injuries can get into a players head mentally as much as anything, so psychologically you’re thinking ‘Can I play? Can I push up on my leg? Can I push off to serve?’ How much do all these factors come in emotionally. It’s very difficult, very tough.”
Croft then reflected on the nature of the injury itself, saying, “It’s quite an unusual injury actually. I’ve had calf muscle injuries, which were not nice at all and the minute you push off, you tweak it, but a shin.
“And stress fractures are always dangerous. Whatever you do, you do not want to weaken it anymore and cause anymore problems, so it doesn’t become a long-term injury. But you don’t hear too many stress fractures in the shin actually. It seems quite an unusual injury.
“One thing that I’ve always thought about Raducanu, particularly when we saw her at Queen’s on the grass, where she played such beautiful tennis. She’s very light on her feet.
“Movement for her has always been one of her strengths. She’s such a great athlete, she moves around the ball. She’s light on her feet and gets into great positions, where she never looks off balance. Movement will be part of a major strength on what she brings out on the court. That needs to be at 100%.”
Raducanu is currently world No 49, and her ranking is expected to fall further once last year’s points from Cincinnati and the US Open come off. If she misses more key events on the WTA Tour, she could soon slip out of the top 100.
ATP Tour
Year-end races, rising stars and comeback watch: what to follow in the closing weeks of 2026
Zverev, Rybakina, Eala, Rune and Raducanu headline the closing weeks of the 2026 season.
The final stretch of the 2026 season still has plenty to offer, even with the Grand Slam calendar complete. The battle for year-end No. 1 in both tours promises to shape the closing weeks, while the progress of emerging names and returning players will also draw attention.
On the ATP side, Alexander Zverev has moved into pole position to finish the year at No. 1 after adding the US Open title to the French Open crown he collected in June. That result has opened a healthy gap over Jannik Sinner, but the story is far from over. Zverev has committed to a demanding schedule as he pursues the top ranking for the first time in his career, while Sinner has points to defend and is expected back from the knee injury that ruled him out of the US Open. His position will depend heavily on how well he recovers.
In the WTA standings, Elena Rybakina has emerged as the leading candidate to end the season at No. 1. The newly crowned US Open champion has now beaten Aryna Sabalenka in two Grand Slam finals in 2026, having also defeated her at the Australian Open in January. Rybakina now faces the task of maintaining that level through the finish, with a strong chance to defend the WTA Finals title she won last year.
Alex Eala is set for a major run of attention during the Asian swing. She will represent the Philippines at the Asian Games and compete in several tournaments across the region, where her popularity is expected to grow even further.
There is also interest in the comebacks of Holger Rune and Emma Raducanu. Rune returned to action in Davis Cup after a torn Achilles tendon last November, while Raducanu continues to recover from a stress fracture in her foot and is targeting a return in 2026.
The closing weeks of the season may already be underway, but several important storylines are still waiting to unfold.
ATP Tour
Djokovic’s Alcaraz comparison does not quite fit the evidence
Djokovic praised Alcaraz, but the Spaniard’s style still looks unlike his own.
Novak Djokovic’s reach across the ATP Tour is beyond question, but his latest reflection on Carlos Alcaraz feels more debatable than convincing.
In an interview with Kevin Hart on Cold as Balls, the 24-time Grand Slam champion suggested that both Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner resemble him in the way they play.
“Look, I think, for anybody that follows tennis, Sinner and Alcaraz. You know, you guys know how they play, right? You know their styles? Who do they resemble?,” Djokovic asked Hart.
“You. I’m dead serious. You,” responded the comedian.
“So, for me, that’s the greatest compliment,” explained Djokovic. “If I was able to create an impact, I’m happy because that’s the whole point.”
There is a case to be made when Djokovic is speaking about Sinner, but Alcaraz sits in a different lane. The Spaniard’s game is built around improvisation, spontaneity, and a freedom that has made him one of the sport’s most compelling figures. That is difficult to reconcile with Djokovic’s own more methodical, highly structured approach.
Djokovic’s game, for all its brilliance, has long been associated with technical precision and repeatable patterns. It delivered extraordinary success, but it is also part of the reason he was the least loved of the ‘big three’.
Alcaraz, by contrast, has won wide admiration because of the way he produces shots that often seem to come from instinct alone. His style has made him more broadly embraced than Sinner, even though both are chasing the same major milestones in recent years.
All three will soon return to action, giving fans another chance to compare them directly. Sinner and Djokovic are scheduled for the China Open, while Alcaraz will appear at the Japan Open.
Both ATP 500 events are set to run from September 30th to October 11th.
ATP Tour ATP Tour News
Jodar makes winning Davis Cup debut as Spain take control in Chile
Jodar opens his Davis Cup career with a dominant win and Spain edge closer to the Finals.
Rafael Jodar announced himself on Davis Cup duty for Spain with a commanding first appearance, easing past Cristian Garin 6-0, 6-2 to help put his side 2-0 up away to Chile. Earlier, Daniel Merida had already given Spain the opening point by defeating Alejandro Tabilo, leaving the visitors in a strong position.
At 20, Jodar arrived as Spain’s highest-ranked player in the tie, with Carlos Alcaraz absent, and that placed added responsibility on the young player. Even so, he handled the occasion with notable authority and delivered a result that stands out in Spanish Davis Cup history.
His start has actually bettered the one made by Rafael Nadal. Nadal made his Davis Cup debut in 2004 as a 17-year-old, but it did not begin with a win, as he lost to Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic. Jodar has therefore opened his Davis Cup account with a cleaner beginning than Nadal managed, even if matching the scale of Nadal’s team record would be an enormous task.
After that early defeat, Nadal went on to stay unbeaten in Davis Cup singles for Spain for two decades, until his final match against Botic van de Zandschulp in 2024. That straight-sets loss brought only his second defeat in Davis Cup singles and also marked the end of his career.
Nadal closed with a 29-2 singles record in the competition and also finished with winning doubles numbers, taking eight victories and suffering four losses. Those contributions helped Spain secure four Davis Cup titles between 2004 and 2019.
For Jodar, the focus now turns to his next rubber against Tabilo in Chile. Spain already hold a 2-0 advantage, and another victory would seal their place in the Davis Cup Finals.
With Carlos Alcaraz potentially back for the Davis Cup Finals, Spain could still be among the leading contenders for the title this year. The Finals are scheduled for 24 to 29 November in Bologna, Italy, where Italy will defend the crown after winning in 2024 and 2025. Spain’s last title came in 2019, when Nadal was part of the team.
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