Emma Raducanu has revealed that it was former coach Francisco Roig’s decision to part ways and that it was difficult to ignore the noise surrounding her appointment as coach.
The former US Open champion parted ways with Roig after losing in the second round of the Australian Open. The Spaniard becomes Raducanu’s ninth coach since winning the 2021 US Open.
Since then, Raducanu has reunited with Mark Petchey on a daily basis during Indian Wells and continues to work closely with hitting partner Alexis Kanter.
“Me and Francis were talking after the Australia game. We have a great relationship and we had a really open and honest conversation,” Raducanu told Sky Sports News.
“He finally said, ‘Look, I don’t think this is going the way we both want it to go.’ That’s when he really ended it.
“In a way, I think there were moments where we disagreed on some points. Apart from that, we still have a great relationship and I met him here before, so it was great to see a familiar, great face.”
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Tim Henman, Laura Robson and Naomi Cavadey discuss how their reunion with coach Mark Petchey will impact them ahead of Indian Wells
Petchey was already scheduled to come to Indian Wells on commentary duty, and Mr. Raducanu also reintroduced Petchey’s support after they briefly spent time together last year with great success.
He reached the quarter-finals with Raducanu in Miami last March, reached the fourth round in Rome and then performed well at Wimbledon, showing glimpses of a return to top form with Aryna Sabalenka.
“Mark was going to be here anyway for commentary and I’ve been working with Alexis. Alexis has helped me out a lot,” she said.
“As for Mark, I knew he was going to Indian Wells, so I asked him a few days ago to do some things with me on the court and get him back in better shape with his game.
“I wasn’t feeling too well at the beginning of the year, but I’ve been feeling better the last few days. Things aren’t set in stone yet, but I knew he was going to be here and it was great. I always love being on the court with him.”
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Jonathan Overend believes that if Raducanu can find the right balance with the right coach, she could have a great year of tennis.
In recent years, there has been a series of coaching changes and a growing wave of external noise surrounding Raducanu, and on top of that, she has had a difficult period of time where she has suffered repeated setbacks due to injuries as she attempts to discover her best tennis.
The British number one recently lost in the first round to Antonia Ruzic at the Dubai Tennis Championships and withdrew from her first round match against Camila Osorio in Qatar due to illness.
“It’s a challenge because I think it influences some of the decisions I make,” she said of outside noise. “I don’t want to start working with someone without knowing if it’s 100 percent solidified, because I feel like even if I don’t end it with Frances, whatever the outcome, whatever the reason, I’m going to be responsible for it.
“It does affect me at some points, but I know that at the end of the day I have to make decisions that will make me the best player I can be. Having spent so much time doing things that I didn’t want to do, it only affected me and made me feel even worse about my tennis.”
“I don’t want to do that because I went through that and I know how it feels on the court.”
Radukanu will return to action on Friday to face Anastasia Zakharova after receiving a first-round bye.
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