Emma Raducanu will 'go through a lot of coaches' in her career after US Open victory, says Mark Petchey
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Updated 19/10/2021 at 16:24 GMT
Emma Raducanu is on the hunt for a new coach after deciding not to continue with Andrew Richardson following her shock US Open victory. The 18-year-old is working with Johanna Konta’s former coach Esteban Carril on a trial basis this week as she prepares to play at the Transylvania Open in Romania.
Emma Raducanu
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Mark Petchey expects Emma Raducanu to “go through a lot of coaches” during her career as she continues her hunt for an experienced mentor.
Raducanu, 18, has been looking for a new coach since deciding not to continue with Andrew Richardson after her stunning US Open win.
This week she is working with Johanna Konta’s former coach Esteban Carril on a trial basis.
Petchey, who worked with Raducanu from July-December in 2020 and then again from March-April this season, does not think the British No 1 will settle for a long-term coach.
“I think, to be honest, that Emma will go through a lot of coaches during her career,” Petchey, who also worked with Andy Murray at the US Open, told Tennis.com.
"Because she will take what she needs from someone and she will find someone else who will be good for something else. She's very proactive about the way she wants to build her game.”
Raducanu also worked with experienced WTA coach Nigel Sears earlier this year, but they stopped after her run to the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Asked where Raducanu can improve, Petchey said: “Some of it will be small, and some of it will be significant serving, volleying, and her ability to move into the net.
"Not the actual technique - her technique is very good, I think she sometimes just doesn't know where to stand. I think her forehand will become a more dominant shot."
Raducanu’s first match since her US Open victory ended in a straight-sets defeat to Aliaksandra Sasnovich. She is next set to return to action at the Transylvania Open in Romania, where her father was born.
Petchey thinks these are “significant times” for Raducanu as she looks to build on her first major win.
"I think it's off the charts. It's the stuff of dreams, it's movie-making," he said. "Usually there's this step-by-step, and preparing for this moment. It's very unique.
For me to sit here and say I can see the future now, when I couldn't guess the future before, the answer is no. I do think, having known her for as long as I have, that she's one of the most mature and put-together 18-year-olds that I've ever met.
"I think she's got a great chance of being as capable of handling it as anyone, but these are significant times for her. Some parts of it will be amazing and other parts of it will be challenging."
While Petchey was surprised by Raducanu’s success at the US Open, he says he had seen some similarities to when he worked with Maria Sharapova as a youngster.
''I knew working with Maria, the way she hit the ball. I knew working with Emma the way she was hitting the ball and the improvements she had made, I knew she could win rounds at Slams and go deep, but obviously things fell her way."
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