Emma Raducanu is poised to announce a new sponsorship deal with Uniqlo before the Indian Wells Open next week.
The world No25 has been associated with Nike since she was 15 years old — three years before she won the US Open in 2021 — but a move to the Japanese clothing brand has been mooted since December.
The deal is an indication of Raducanu’s enduring commercial power, despite the 23-year-old’s inconsistent form since her spectacular breakthrough at Flushing Meadows in 2021.
Uniqlo has previously only signed sponsorship deals with Roger Federer, who reportedly left Nike for a ten-year contract worth $300million (about £222million), Novak Djokovic and Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
In a social media post teasing the announcement, which featured only a player’s arm holding a tennis racket with few distinguishing features, the caption read: “We’re proud to welcome a new face to Uniqlo.” Although Raducanu’s management company, IMG, declined to comment, it is understood the British No1 will be unveiled before the “Sunshine Double” in California and Miami.
Raducanu has endured an tumultuous start to 2026, having sacked her coach Francisco Roig after only six months following the Australian Open. She responded by reaching her first WTA Tour-level final since the US Open at the Transylvania Open this month, only for a chest infection to derail that momentum and cause Raducanu to retire during her first-round match at the Qatar Open.
Uniqlo teased tennis fans with this image of a player and the words: “We’re proud to welcome a new face to Uniqlo”
She then suffered a first-round defeat against lucky loser Antonia Ruzic at the Dubai Tennis Championships as physical issues continue to hinder her progress.
Despite those struggles and her numerous changes of coach, Raducanu has remained one of the most popular players in the sport, with her 2.9 million Instagram followers second only to the world No1 Aryna Sabalenka — a more relevant figure to many brands than her present world ranking.
Raducanu’s other blue-chip sponsorship deals have included Evian, British Airways, HSBC, Porsche, Dior and Tiffany & Co. She earned just over £1million in prize money in 2025, but company filings showed that Raducanu’s income from commercial interests amounted to around four times that figure.
Raducanu’s departure from Nike reflects a shift in their strategy towards investing heavily in a more select number of marquee names. Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Sabalenka remain their key ambassadors, but the men’s British No1 Jack Draper switched to the Californian lifestyle brand Vuori last season.