British star Emma Raducanu has become the first female player to be named the brand ambassador of the Japanese brand Uniqlo and has recently named the individual she would like to see in her designed outfits. The World No. 25 last competed at the Dubai Tennis Championship, where she lost the round of 64 to the lucky loser, former World No. 65 Antonia Ružić.
Emma Raducanu Shares Her Aspirations and the Individual She Would Like To See Wearing Her Creations
Raducanu has ended her eight-year partnership with the American athletic footwear and apparel giant Nike and has signed a lucrative deal with Uniqlo. Apart from her and Federer, the brand also endorses ATP star Kei Nishikori, wheelchair tennis players Shingo Kunieda and Gordon Reid, three-time Olympic medalist snowboarder Ayumu Hirano, and golfer Adam Scott.
Serbian legend Novak Djokovic also had a five-year deal with Uniqlo, after which he moved to Lacoste, the French designer sports fashion brand. During her recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Raducanu revealed that she would like to design clothes for her mother if she gets the opportunity to do so with the brand.
She expressed, while highlighting admiration for her mother, Renee Zhai, who hails from Shenyang, China, “I think I would honestly love to see my mother in my clothes, because it would be such a full circle moment. Because this is what she sacrificed and dedicated a lot of her time [to] – her energy, her effort, all of the challenges, all of the hard work… this is what it was for, and for her to experience it is probably going to be really special. I’d say my mum is probably the number one.”
Britain’s top-ranked female player, who has faced coaching and health challenges, began her 2026 season at the Hobart International, then competed at the Australian Open, and reached the final of the Transylvania Open. She has wrapped up her Middle East Swing with an early exit at the Qatar Open and lost the round of 64 to Ružić with a final scoreline of 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.
During the same interview, the 2021 US Open champion also expressed her excitement for being the first female player to sign with the brand, adding, “To be the only female sport ambassador is a great honour and a great privilege. I’m really grateful for that.”
She continued underscoring the significance of the rise of women’s sports, “And I think that women’s sport in general is really taking off, and it has been for a little bit now, so I think it’s being watched more. It’s being spoken about more, which is why I think it’s important to use the platform that we have in a positive way. And I believe that we can do that.”
With the brand, Raducanu will also work towards programs aimed at youth and their potential to shape the future and will begin endorsing it at the Indian Wells Open.
