After capturing the 2021 U.S. Open title at just 18 years old, Britain’s Emma Raducanu looked poised for continued success in New York. However, she hadn’t won another match at the tournament in the four years since.
Heading into the 2025 U.S. Open, Raducanu sought to end that winless streak with help from an unconventional source: a French chiropractor named Jerome Poupel, known for working with race car drivers, jockeys, and even horses.
On Sunday, Raducanu revealed she brought Poupel onto her team to help manage a persistent back problem. According to his website, Poupel has worked with Formula One driver David Coulthard and champion jockey Tony McCoy.
“He’s been helping me over the past year,” Raducanu said in comments shared by Neil McLeman of the Daily Express. “As my training and match load have increased, staying ahead of my back issues has become more important. He’s got a really unique background—working in F1 and with horses—it’s different, but I really enjoy having him on the team. He’s a calm but eccentric character.”
While Poupel’s résumé may seem unconventional for tennis, the results speak for themselves. On Sunday, Raducanu cruised past Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2 in just 62 minutes.
Raducanu credited her quick win in part to an increased focus on reaction time, an area where she hopes to draw inspiration from Poupel’s past work.
“With race drivers, they react incredibly fast under extreme physical stress,” she said. “We haven’t directly worked on that yet, and I’m not sure how much he can help with it, but it’s definitely something I want to improve.
Raducanu added that she’s unsure if Poupel will continue traveling with her. Still, if she continues to race through the draw like she did on Sunday, he might become a mainstay on her team.
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