Emma Raducanu has been training with coach Andrew Richardson ahead of the 2026 Italian Open.
Raducanu, who has endured a difficult start to her 2026 WTA campaign, has practiced at the Ferrer Academy in Spain ahead of her first clay-court event of the season.
Richardson, the tennis director at the Ferrer Academy, was Raducanu’s coach during her run to the 2021 US Open title.
Where do you think Emma Raducanu will finish 2026 ranked?
Raducanu’s stint with Richardson was short – she has no plans to continue a partnership through the clay-court swing.
Rennae Stubbs, a multiple-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, has offered her take on Raducanu’s short training block with Richardson.
Rennae Stubbs says Emma Raducanu working with Andrew Richardson is a ‘good move’
“I think the most difficult job in the world is coaching Emma Raducanu, because she has a very short rope,” Stubbs said on The Rennae Stubbs Podcast.
“So we’ll see. I clearly think it’s a good idea. He did wonders for her to win the US Open. He seems like a very chill guy. Maybe he gets her better than most because he’s known her so long, known her since a young age.
“And listen, I know Emma personally. She’s a great young woman, she’s fantastically educated, great to talk to, very smart.
“I think that’s sometimes half the problem, is that she’s so smart she realises half these coaches that are telling her stuff are so stupid, and she just goes ‘well, that doesn’t make sense.’
“But at the same time she has to give someone time. But I think she knows this guy so well from such a young age that I think it might work for her, because she’ll settle into it a little bit more and stop trying to pretend to be a player that she’s not.
“But Mark Petchey didn’t last long. But Mark is so busy with his TV, so I just think that was untenable in a lot of ways, and maybe he’s still sort of helping from the side, I don’t know, I haven’t spoken to Petch about it.
“But I think this is a good move from Emma, and we’ll see.”
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Raducanu, the 27th seed in Rome, has received a bye through to the second round.
There, the former US Open champion will play Solana Sierra or a qualifier.
If Raducanu advances to the third round, she will play either Coco Gauff, Yulia Putintseva or Tereza Valentova.
Emma Raducanu’s last appearance in Rome
Emma Raducanu is defending 120 WTA ranking points at this year’s Italian Open after reaching the fourth round at last year’s event.
Raducanu, unseeded at the tournament, defeated Maya Joint, Jill Teichmann and Veronika Kudermetova on her way to the fourth round.
There, she was defeated by Coco Gauff, who went on to reach the final.
“It was super windy, especially like in the second set,” Gauff said after beating Raducanu 6-1, 6-2. “It definitely did play a big part. I’m from Florida, so I’m used to kind of dealing with it, working with it.
“Sometimes you have to learn to just let go with the wind, know that you just have to kind of move that extra step. Some points aren’t going to be won in pretty ways, which a lot of points towards the end were won in ugly ways.
“That’s part of tennis in the wind. It’s not always pretty.”
Jasmine Paolini won the event, defeating Gauff 6-4, 6-2 in the championship showpiece.
