After winning the 2021 U.S. Open at 18, Briton Emma Raducanu seemed destined to win more titles in New York. However, that hasn’t happened.
Entering the 2025 U.S. Open, she had not won a match at the Grand Slam since her victory four years ago. To end the drought, Raducanu turned to an unexpected source: a French chiropractor who has worked with race car drivers, jockeys and horses.
On Sunday, Raducanu revealed she added Jerome Poupel to her team to address a lingering back issue. According to his website, he has worked with Formula One driver David Coulthard and jockey Tony McCoy.
“He’s been helping me for the last year,” Raducanu said, via Neil McLeman of the Daily Express. “As I’ve been playing more tennis and training more, it’s just important for me to stay on top of the [back issues]. It’s cool, you know, he’s worked in F1, he’s worked with horses, so it’s very different. But I’m just enjoying having him around.
He’s a great, calm but eccentric kind of character.”
The doctor may be an odd choice, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Raducanu beat Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2 in the first round on Sunday.