Identity of mystery man in Emma Raducanu’s cosy Instagram photos, after posts from her New York hotel sparked romance rumours
On August 29, 2025, Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, set social media ablaze with an Instagram photo dump captioned “A productive summer. Progress over perfection,” featuring a dimly lit shot of her dining with a man at her New York hotel during the US Open 2025. The mystery man was identified as Benjamin Heynold, a 24-year-old former junior tennis player and childhood friend, sparking widespread romance rumors (dailymail.co.uk, September 1, 2025). The post, which garnered nearly 150,000 likes in hours, fueled speculation due to the cozy setting, but sources close to Raducanu insist their bond is platonic (walesonline.co.uk, July 4, 2025). This article explores the rumors, Heynold’s identity, and Raducanu’s US Open journey, as of 11:56 AM WAT, Monday, September 1, 2025.
The Instagram photos, including city skyline views and a candlelit dinner, prompted fans to speculate about a new romance, with comments like, “Who’s the guy in the third slide? 👀 Emma’s got a new man?” (@TennisFanatic, August 30, 2025). Heynold, now studying at the University of North Carolina and working at the Raine Group bank, has known Raducanu since age six, having competed together for Team GB in junior tennis (dailymail.co.uk, September 1, 2025). He was spotted in her player box at Wimbledon 2025 during her win over Marketa Vondrousova, reigniting earlier rumors (evoke.ie, July 3, 2025). Raducanu addressed those speculations, saying, “He’s really cool… just a friend supporting me” (walesonline.co.uk, July 4, 2025).
Raducanu’s private life has been under scrutiny since her 2021 US Open triumph. She split from Carlo Agostinelli, son of a billionaire financier, in June 2024 after a high-profile relationship that included trips to Mexico and Greece (hellomagazine.com, June 30, 2025). Rumors linking her to Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper were dismissed, with Raducanu laughing off Nick Kyrgios’s playful “love triangle” jab (dailymail.co.uk, August 20, 2025). She told The Times, “My parents were very much against boyfriends… It made me comfortable in my own company” (heart.co.uk, July 5, 2025), emphasizing her focus on tennis.
At the US Open, Raducanu reached the third round with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Janice Tjen but fell 6-4, 6-3 to Elena Rybakina (usopen.org, August 30, 2025). Her mixed doubles run with Alcaraz ended in a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Draper and Jessica Pegula (dailymail.co.uk, August 20, 2025). Under new coach Francis Roig, Raducanu’s return to the top 40 was a highlight, with @usopen tweeting, “Emma Raducanu sweeps Tjen in one hour! 💨 #USOpen” (August 27, 2025).
The rumors haven’t distracted Raducanu, who said post-match, “I’m happy playing freer” (skysports.com, August 31, 2025). Fans can follow her next moves, likely at the Korea Open (September 16-22, 2025), on wtatennis.com, @WTA, or @emmaraducanu on X. As speculation about Heynold persists, Raducanu’s focus remains on her game, keeping fans guessing.
