Tennis fans wondering how Emma Raducanu blazed back to British No 1 ranking at Queen’s this week should take a look at her support team.

Roaring her on as she reached the quarter-finals was not just her coach Nick Cavaday and agent Thomas Houchin, but a dashing former tennis protege close to her heart, Benjamin Heynold.

He and Raducanu, 22, have known each other since the age of six and have represented Team GB together. 

Heynold, 24, is a student at the the University of North Carolina in the US and friends suggest that his long friendship with Emma may have turned to romance.

Raducanu split up with her Harrow-educated boyfriend, Carlo Agostinelli, last year.

Roaring Emma Raducanu on as she reached the quarter-finals was a dashing former tennis protege close to her heart, Benjamin Heynold

Heynold, 24, (pictured right) is a student at the the University of North Carolina in the US and friends suggest that his long friendship with Emma may have turned to romance

He and Raducanu, 22, have known each other since the age of six and have represented Team GB together. Pictured: Raducanu and Heynold in 2016

Agostinelli, a former head boy of pricey private school Harrow, is the son of tycoon Robert Agostinelli, the co-founder and chairman of private equity firm Rhone Group.

The tennis star’s year-long whirlwind romance with him was said to have been her most serious relationship yet.

She previously revealed that she wasn’t allowed to date while growing up in Bromley, South East London, which made her resent her strict her parents, Ion and Renee Raducanu.

‘My parents were very much against [boyfriends] as it interfered with training,’ she told The Times.

‘When I was younger I wasn’t even allowed to hang out with my girl friends.

‘A lot of the time I was very resentful.

‘But it made me very confident and comfortable in my own company, which is also a big strength.’

Having changed coaches seven times in the space of four years as she tried to recapture the form that saw her win a Grand Slam at the 2021 US Open, perhaps Benjamin is her ace?

Emma Raducanu with former boyfriend Carlo Agostinelli  during the 2024 Paris Fashion week 

Heynold watched on as Raducanu bowed out in the Queen’s quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-4 loss to Chinese first-seed Qinwen Zheng.

Raducanu, who officially supplants Katie Boulter as British number one on Monday, planned for next week’s Berlin Open to be the next step on her quest to secure seeding at Wimbledon, but required an off-court medical time out before the second set concerning her ongoing back issues.

The 22-year-old was the last Briton standing in this new WTA 500 event, the first time women’s tennis had been played at Queen’s since 1973.

‘I’m not overly concerned that it’s something serious, but I know it’s something that’s very annoying and needs proper and careful management,’ said Raducanu, who revealed she had been taped up for stability and took some painkillers.

Quizzed about whether she was a fitness doubt for Wimbledon, she replied: ‘Well, I don’t know. Like it’s been lingering for the last few weeks, and I have had, like, back issues before. I think it’s just a vulnerability of mine. I know I need to take good care of it.’

The new British number one confirmed coach Mark Petchey will be able to join her should the Berlin plan go ahead, but does not know if former coach Nick Cavaday, who stepped back in January due to ill health, will also be on the trip after joining her in London this week.

Raducanu conceded that making the seeding cut for Wimbledon ‘obviously helps’ when it comes to swerving difficult draws in the early rounds, but added: ‘I think maybe my goals have slightly shifted from being seeded to actually improving my game.

‘When I play those top players, making it closer and feeling more competitive rather than just feeling, ‘OK, I maybe get to the third round of a slam but then lose comfortably to one of the top’.

‘I think I’d rather have a more competitive match, even if that means losing first round, second round. I think that, to be honest, is how I feel right now.’