Emma Raducanu faces two difficult tests on her return to tennis at the 2026 United Cup, where she will play Maria Sakkari and Naomi Osaka.
The British number one has not played competitive tennis since October, when she lost to Lin Zhu at the Ningbo Open.
Jack Draper’s withdrawal has increased the pressure on Raducanu, but she has an excellent record against Sakkari and Osaka, having never lost to either star.
Ahead of her match with Raducanu on 4 January, Sakkari has spoken about the challenges she will face against the British star.
Maria Sakkari says Emma Raducanu is ‘very tough to play’
Sakkari is currently outside of the top 50 of the WTA Tour rankings, but she has been as high as World No. 3.
The Greek star is yet to beat Raducanu in their four meetings, which is a record Sakkari has in mind heading into the United Cup.
Who will be the United Cup MVP? Anyone else? Let us know in the comments
The two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist said: “Emma, I have a negative record against her obviously. I’m aware of that, but she’s a solid player. She’s very tough to play.
“Both of them are very tough to play. As I said, I’ve worked on things. I’m going to try and deliver them on the court and see how it goes.”
Sakkari will also face Osaka, who she also has a negative head-to-head record with throughout her career.
“I mean, they’re very, very tough matches. Two very different players. Naomi’s an ultra-aggressive player. She has been playing very good, if I’m not mistaken, the second half of the season, of last year.
Sakkari represented Greece at last year’s United Cup, but they failed to qualify from a Group C featuring Kazakhstan and Spain.
Emma Raducanu’s United Cup schedule
The British star has given herself a stacked schedule ahead of the Australian Open, which begins at the United Cup.
Raducanu has also been confirmed for the Hobart International, but she will be playing plenty of tennis before then.
She will compete on back-to-back days, playing Osaka on the 4th January and then Sakkari on the 5th.
How likely is it that Emma Raducanu wins another Grand Slam, and why?
Osaka will also have to play back-to-back days, having opened proceedings against Sakkari on day one of the competition.
Sakkari has been given a day off between her matches, which could be a huge boost for the Greek star at the tournament.
Whichever team makes it through Group A will then be given a further two days off before the knockout stages begin.
