Emma Raducanu’s new boyfriend is the privately educated son of a Queen’s Club committee member, the Daily Mail can reveal. The 23-year-old tennis star was spotted looking relaxed and affectionate with public relations executive John Friend, 32, in London’s Battersea Park just a day after she suffered a narrow defeat in the Queen’s Club final. The pair were seen holding hands, sharing hugs and appearing to exchange a kiss as they enjoyed a leisurely stroll with John’s dog through the leafy south-west London neighbourhood where he lives.
The sighting marks the first public confirmation of Raducanu’s new romance following the end of her relationship with billionaire Carlo Agostinelli last year. At a time when the British tennis star is navigating one of the most important periods of her career, the emergence of a new partner has inevitably sparked fresh interest in her personal life. Yet those close to her insist she remains focused on the court, even as she appears to have found happiness away from it.
John Friend, nine years her senior, works as a director of JSGF, the public relations firm that bears his initials. He is also a trustee of the cancer charity Team Antoinette, which raises funds in pursuit of a revolutionary cure for the disease. Those who know him describe a well-connected, privately educated professional who grew up in north London and attended a series of fee-paying schools before settling in Battersea.
His father, a senior business figure who advises boards on strategic communications, reputation and brand management, holds influential positions in the tennis world as a committee member of the Queen’s Club Real tennis committee and the Marylebone Cricket Club’s Tennis and Squash sub-committee. The family’s deep roots in the sport add an intriguing layer to Raducanu’s new relationship, given her own status as one of Britain’s brightest tennis talents.
Tragedy has also touched the Friend family. John’s brother William, a media entrepreneur, married American actress Bevin Prince but died aged just 33 in 2022 after being struck by lightning while in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. The loss remains a painful chapter for those closest to him, and friends say John has channelled some of his energy into charitable work in the years since.
Raducanu ended her previous relationship with Harrow-educated Carlo Agostinelli, son of London-based American private equity billionaire Robert Agostinelli, in 2024. The romance had begun in May 2023 and was played out in the public eye, with the couple photographed arm-in-arm at Paris Fashion Week and spotted shopping together in Kensington. Friends said at the time that the relationship had simply “run its course.” Since then, Raducanu has been linked in the media to Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz after the pair played alongside each other at the US Open in 2025.
Both dismissed the rumours, though Raducanu later spoke warmly of the “genuine connection” they share from their early days on the tour.
“I think, for all of us, we really value those connections that we had from when we were young,” she said last year.
“Because when you become a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age… the ones that you’ve known for a long time mean a lot more to you.” She recalled watching Alcaraz’s breakout win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round of that US Open and described going through the tournament together as “really cool.” Their friendship, she added, remains strong even as their careers have taken different trajectories.
Raducanu has also been candid about the challenges of balancing a high-profile relationship with the demands of elite tennis. She has previously revealed that her parents were “very much against” her having boyfriends during her formative years because they believed relationships “interfered with training.” That protective stance reflects the intense focus the family placed on her development from a young age, a discipline that helped propel her to the 2021 US Open title as a teenager.
The timing of her new romance comes at a pivotal moment on court. On Sunday she missed out on a first-ever grass-court title after losing the Queen’s Club final to Croatia’s Donna Vekic. Despite the disappointment, Raducanu showed resilience by winning twice on Saturday to reach the final on the Andy Murray Arena. She is now preparing for the Nottingham Open next week before Wimbledon begins at the end of the month, a period that represents a crucial stretch of the grass-court season.
Public curiosity about Raducanu’s love life has long outstripped interest in her results, something she has acknowledged with a mix of amusement and mild frustration. “I guess it comes with the territory, people being so curious,” she said. “I think they’re more curious about this news than any tennis results and tennis news. But I just keep to myself, my private life to one side. It’s always funny when people try to find something out, but I try not to read into it so much.”
Those close to the 23-year-old say she has matured significantly since her breakthrough US Open triumph and is now more comfortable drawing boundaries around her personal life. The relationship with John Friend, who moves in established London circles and brings a more low-key, professional profile than her previous partner, appears to offer a degree of stability at a time when her schedule is relentless and expectations remain sky-high.
The couple’s relaxed appearance in Battersea Park suggested they are at ease in each other’s company. Raducanu, still processing the narrow defeat at Queen’s, seemed content to enjoy a quiet afternoon away from the spotlight, while Friend appeared protective and attentive. For a player who has often spoken about the loneliness that can accompany life on the tour, finding someone who understands both the pressures of her world and the value of privacy may prove significant.
Whether this new chapter develops into something lasting remains to be seen. Raducanu has always been fiercely independent, prioritising her tennis above all else and remaining guarded about matters of the heart. Yet the visible affection she showed in south-west London hints at a relationship that brings genuine happiness. At 23, she is still learning how to navigate fame, family expectations, and the desire for a normal personal life.
John Friend, with his established career, charitable commitments and family connections to the very club where she recently competed, represents a different kind of partner from those she has been linked with before.
For now, Raducanu’s focus will return squarely to the court. The grass-court season offers her the best opportunity to build momentum ahead of Wimbledon, where British hopes will once again rest heavily on her shoulders. Supporters will be hoping the stability she appears to have found off-court translates into renewed confidence on it. As she prepares for Nottingham and then the All England Club, the young star will be acutely aware that every result is scrutinised and every off-court development dissected.
In the meantime, the photographs from Battersea Park have provided a rare glimpse of a more private Emma Raducanu — one who, after the highs and lows of recent years, seems to have found someone with whom she can simply walk the dog, hold hands and enjoy a moment of ordinary happiness. Whether that happiness survives the glare of public attention and the demands of a Wimbledon campaign will be watched with interest by fans and observers alike. For now, at least, she looks content.