Emma Raducanu has revealed that she will spend Christmas in New Zealand again as she prepares to play in the ASB Classic. The British star will enter the tournament as a wildcard having struggled with fitness issues in the second half of 2024.

Raducanu has featured at the Auckland tournament for the past two years, reaching the last-16 on both occasions. The 21-year-old says she will spend Christmas with a friend who lives in Auckland.

She will be swapping her roast turkey with a cosy barbecue on the New Zealand coast.

“The people are very friendly and very hospitable. I always have a great time there. The weather, when it is nice, is really beautiful,” Raducanu said.

“One of my best friends lives in Auckland and her family do too, so I think I will be there for Christmas Day. Over the last two years, we have gone an hour north to their beach house and had a barbecue there.

“It is really wholesome. The quality of the meat and fish is so fresh and I am looking forward to it.”

It means Raducanu will get some down time before the tournament begins on December 30. Last year, she was defeated by Elena Svitolina. Twelve months prior, she was knocked out by Viktoria Hruncakova.

Raducanu enjoyed a storming start to the year and impressed during the grass-court season. She even reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, her best run at a Grand Slam since she won the US Open in 2021.

However, successive injuries have disrupted her season since. She has only played in three tournaments since she shone at Wimbledon and has been unable to break the WTA’s top 50 despite storming up the rankings in the months before.

That has not stopped fans from flocking to watch the world No. 58, though.

“Someone like Emma will always be on top of our list, she’s a marquee player, her ranking doesn’t really matter in terms of the star power that she brings to the tournament,” said ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin.

“We’ve seen the effect on ticket sales, every time we have announced her there is always a major spike. We have also seen the reaction from our sponsors when we are having a discussion and sharing the possibility that she might be coming.

“She sells tickets and fans want to see her. She has a special relationship with Auckland and New Zealand.”