Emma Raducanu turns 22! Perhaps her birthday wish at the moment would be a fitter and stronger version of herself in the 2025 season. She has struggled a lot with injuries and lack of form this season. In fact, she hasn’t played a match since spraining her ligaments in her foot during the Korea Open in September. So, that’s why perhaps she’d love to keep those two on the top of her wishlist. Amid all these concerns about her wellbeing, recently her close friend Paula Badosa penned down a heartfelt message to celebrate Raducanu’s special day.

In 2022, Emma Raducanu celebrated her 20th birthday with friends at the Four Seasons Hotel. She even posted a few photos from her birthday celebration on X, where she was spotted hanging out with a couple of friends and giving a pose with a cake. She captioned that picture with, “20 thank you for the bday wishes.” The next year, she was spotted spending time at a renowned Sushi Restaurant in London. She shared a few glimpses of those moments on her IG account with a caption saying, “Turned 21 with the best ♥️ thank you so much for all the sweet wishes. regardless of a challenging year, there’s a lot to be grateful for. looking forward to the next chapter 🐎.”

Although she didn’t share any pictures from her 22nd birthday celebrations as of now, Paula Badosa didn’t forget to wish her friend on her special day. She shared an IG story that featured a picture of them together on the tennis court, and Badosa captioned that picture with, “Happy bday Emmita 🩷 @emmaraducanu.” Both Paula Badosa and Emma Raducanu share a very close bond between them. In fact, earlier this year, Raducan revealed that they had also kept nicknames for each other. She uploaded a few pictures from their previous training session with the caption, “Paulita and Emmita 🤣🫶.” Do you like their nicknames?

Well, both these tennis stars have time and again reflected their love for each other through multiple statements. They have faced each two times in their careers as of now. The recent meeting came at the 2024 Citi Open. Before facing Paula Badosa in that tournament, we heard Emma Raducanu say, “Yeah, obviously very good friends with Paula. I know she’s such a good tennis player. I practice with her. She’s hitting the ball really, really big, really good.” Even Paula Badosa revealed that she has regular “chats” with Raducanu.

Badosa and Raducanu were also in fact, practice partners at the Citi Open! Reflecting on her thoughts on her off-the-court partnership with the Brit, Badosa said, “We went for lunch, for breakfast. We spoke a lot about how tough it is to deal with all these expectations – especially in her case. I had a little bit of the same in my career. Especially when you feel that anything you do, it’s going to be crazy on social media. In her case, it’s like that. I think she’s dealing with it pretty well now.” She has often spoken about how Emma Raducanu has now finally managed to find balance and she feels Raducanu is dealing with the injury woes “pretty well now.“

However, these are not the only moments where we saw these share a few heartwarming words towards each other. For example, earlier when Paula Badosa shared her pictures from her photoshoot for La Vanguardia, Emma Raducanu was the first one to shower love on that post. She wrote, “Daaamnnn girl.” Then again in October, when Badosa engaged with her fans in a Q&A session, a fan asked her to describe Emma Raducanu in three words. In reply to this question, the Spaniard simply said, “Strong, fighter, and beautiful.“

Surely, Raducanu has seen a lot throughout the last few years and this has definitely made her much stronger. This 22-year-old fighter doesn’t know, how to give up and her fans now hope she makes a strong comeback very soon. What’s her next challenge at the moment, though?

Emma Raducanu returns from injury to take part in the BJK Cup Finals in Malaga

Emma Raducanu’s fans were desperate to hear this news and there couldn’t have been a better day for this confirmation. After spending almost seven weeks on the sidelines, Raducanu shared an exciting update ahead of her campaign in BJK Cup. Previously, Raducanu’s camp confirmed she was “training well” and that her focus was on being with the team at the BJK Cup. Now, Emma Raducanu shared a few pictures from Malaga with the caption, “Girls take malaga💃🏻.” Her smile in that IG, tells you the story, right?

She is now all set to team up with Katie Boulter when Britain faces Germany in Spain on Friday. Emma Raducanu played a crucial role in helping her team qualify for the BJK Cup Finals with two big wins in the singles event on clay against France back in April. So, clearly, her inclusion is a huge boost for the whole camp. 

What after the BJK Cup? Well, Emma Raducanu has already made her intentions pretty clear. She doesn’t want to waste any more time. According to Stuff, Raducanu will next feature at the 2025 ASB Classic in New Zealand. In fact, she could also make an early visit to the land of Kiwis! Reflecting on her return to New Zealand, Raducanu said, “The people are very friendly and very hospitable; I always have a great time there. The weather, when it is nice, is really beautiful. One of my best friends lives in Auckland, and her family do too, so I think I will be there for Christmas Day.” Do you think Emma Raducanu will make a strong comeback in 2025?