What does Ema Raducanu really want on the tennis court?
That was the question asked by Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend following Raducanu’s exit from the Australian Open, which is believed to have indicated “confusion” in the camp of the “chained” British No.1.
The period leading up to last spring and summer, when Raducan was without a full-time coach but working with former British No. 1 Mark Petci, offered real promise.
After Wimbledon, the former US Open champion reached out to Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig after the trial in July, but she appears to have taken something of a step back.
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Raducanu admits he wants to play in a different way after his shock exit in the second round
The world number 29 was a doubt for the Australian Open after playing catch-up due to foot problems during the pre-season, and did not return to the court until the end of December.
She appeared to lack the sharpness of her United Cup clash with Maria Sakari as she beat Camila Osorio in the first round in Hobart before losing to world number 204 Tailah Preston.
She told Raducan in Melbourne that she is ready to rethink her game following her second-round exit from Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday.
“As so often, there’s a lot of reading between the lines when evaluating Raducanu’s post-match and post-Australian comments. What comes to mind is ‘re-evaluate,'” Overend said.
“I think she’s spent a lot of her young career questioning herself. In one way, that explains why she’s gone through so many coaches and why she’s been criticized for it.”
“That’s typical of Radučana who wants to continue to question and find out what’s best for her on and around the tennis court. That challenge continues, and to some extent it’s a struggle, because finding the right balance is very difficult, but I think she’s slowly getting (it), not in terms of her Grand Slam results, but in terms of that questioning process.
“What does she really want for herself on the tennis court and in tournaments?”
Does Raducan feel chained?
Francis Roig has been working with Raducanu since Wimbledon
Overend questioned whether Raducanu’s start to the season was symptomatic of an overworked player under new training looking to unwind.
“When I read between the lines, it sounds to me like there’s confusion — confusion that coaches can often get,” he added.
“This is not critical of Roig; he did a lot of good work with Raducanu, that’s obvious. But the harsh reality of the relationship between player and coach is that the player is the boss – the employer.
“In some cases a coach needs a job, in some cases a coach wants a job, and in other cases, a coach neither needs nor wants a job, but he’s in it anyway.”
“There is always strategic, tactical and technical advice that a coach can offer because they are experienced and have some degree of success. But what is success when it comes to tennis coaching? That is the big unknown.”
“How would a player fare without the input of a particular coach? Would they be as good? Could they be better?”
“It sounds to me as if Radučanu feels shackled, as if she has to be more free and, in the end, be her own boss.”
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Martina Navratilova answers questions from Sky Sports viewers, including how Raducanu could play with his new coach…
Radučanu’s coaches throughout her career after several changes in the last four years have been a lot of attention.
Her first professional coach, Nigel Sears, left after she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2021, before deciding not to renew her contract with Andrew Richardson, who had helped the then 18-year-old to the US Open title.
Torben Beltz had a short stint as her coach between November 2021 and April 2022, before being replaced by Dimitri Tursunov, who warned of “red flags” if Raducanu continued to listen to too many voices.
Sebastian Sachs lasted only the first half of 2023 as Raducanu’s coach before teaming up again with Nick Kavaday, who mentored her as a junior last year.
However, Kavadei withdrew at the start of this season in January due to health reasons, but worked with Raducanu again during the grass season, along with Pecchi.
Raducanu played some of her best tennis under Pecci, whose television commitments meant he was always unable to become a full-time coach before she turned to Roig.
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Take a look back at Raducanu’s incredible 2021 US Open win
“I’m not suggesting she should go it alone or sack Roig, but when you think of some of Raducanu’s best moments in recent years, it’s when she’s smiling and enjoying herself on the training pitches and matches, when she feels free and ambitious,” Overend said.
“You want him to feel that more often. If he feels limited by the extra variety he brings to his game because of technical tweaks and experimentation, and he doesn’t enjoy tennis because of it, that’s a bad thing.”
“Her comment about enjoying hitting the ball hard and fast into the corners – how she won the US Open. I’d just say, Emma, enjoy it. If it’s a part of the game you love, do more of it.”
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