Emma Raducanu: It has never been my philosophy to chop and change coaches
Emma Raducanu has answered critics about her frequent coaching changes in recent years, with the Brit declaring that it was something that she ‘never really wanted’.
Raducanu first caught public attention in 2021 after reaching the last-16 at Wimbledon as a wildcard, when she was working with British coach Nigel Sears at the time.
The then teenager took this hype to another level, as just months later she became the first qualifier in history to win a major title at the US Open.
Another British coach in Andrew Richardson was Raducanu’s coach for this historic achievement, but the pair decided not to continue their partnership on after this victory.
Since then Raducanu has had spells with coaches including Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs, parting ways with the latter after being forced on the injury sidelines for eight months last year, following surgeries to both wrists and her left ankle.
I have really enjoyed Seb’s coaching and working with him, it’s unfortunate that circumstances made it unfeasible for both of us to continue right now and we have decided to part ways. I wish Seb all the best moving forwards. 🦾 pic.twitter.com/wrewLWVDVS
— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) June 1, 2023
Upon her return to action at the start of the 2024 season, Raducanu reunited with childhood coach Nick Cavaday and the pair have continued that working relationship ever since.
Raducanu has received a lot of criticism for these regular coaching changes, with the 22-year-old now suggesting that this was never her plan.
“It’s never really been my interest or philosophy to chop and change coaches. I’ve never really wanted that,” claimed Raducanu. “I’m a very loyal person, whether that’s with my tennis or off the court. Or with what I eat. When I find something I like, I stick to it. I eat the same thing every single day.
“Same salmon every single day. I like those relationships and I think in the past, unfortunately, it hasn’t always worked like this.”
While Raducanu is set to continue working with Cavaday in the upcoming season, the World No.57 has also added to her coaching setup by employing fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura.
Nakamura has previously helped the likes of Grand Slam champion’s Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, with Raducanu seemingly hoping to reduce any previous injury woes.
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Raducanu will look to begin put her new fitness regime into work at the Auckland Open later this month, before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open.
Inside the baseline…
Emma Raducanu has received a lot of, some would say over the top, criticism for her frequent coaching changes. This was particularly prevalent after parting ways with Andrew Richardson, who was with Raducanu for that famous US Open title win. Although these partnerships have not gone as planned, the current setup with Nick Cavaday seems to be more of a permanent fixture for Raducanu and it seems as though she enjoys having a more familiar face that she trusts.
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu admits that she ‘wasn’t prepared’ for off-court interest after winning US Open title
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