Emma Raducanu has once again been in the news this week, having reunited with former coach Mark Petchey for Indian Wells.
The 22-year-old has done so to fill the void left by Francisco Roig, who left her team after an underwhelming Australian Open campaign.
This coaching merry-go-round has been one of the most scrutinised areas of Emma Raducanu’s career to date, and this latest change has not helped that notion.
However, Raducanu has insisted that she will not rush into her next decision, and actually offered a key insight into the reasons behind her split from Roig.
Emma Raducanu explains her split from Francisco Roig
Speaking to Sky Sports, Raducanu revealed that it was actually Roig who instigated the conclusion of their professional relationship, despite her strong words about his coaching style after the Australian Open.
She told the reporter: “After Australia, me and Francis were talking. We have a great relationship, we could have a really open and honest conversation.
Who should be Emma Raducanu’s next coach?
“He ended up saying, ‘look, I don’t think this is going in the way we both want it to’ so he ended it really.
“In a way I think we had a few moments where we weren’t agreeing on a few things. Other than that we still maintain a great relationship and I’ve seen him here, it’s been great to a see a familiar, great face around.”
Elsewhere, Tim Henman told Raducanu what she must change to get closer to Aryna Sabalenka and the game’s other top players.
Emma Raducanu insists she doesn’t need a new coach
In a separate interview earlier this week with BBC Sport, Raducanu actually insisted that she feels like she doesn’t need a coach going forward.
The British number one does not want to hire a new mentor if they are going to try to guide her away from her key principles, and would rather go without if that were the only option.
She claimed: “So I want to come back to my natural way of playing. That takes time to relearn because that’s something that has been coached out of me a little bit.
“I don’t necessarily want to have one coach in the role because anyone I bring in is straight away going to be scrutinised – even if it’s a trial.
“It’s just that I would rather someone not come in and tell me ‘let’s do this’, and I disagree with it but have to listen to them.”
Other players who have played without a coach
If Raducanu were to press on without a coach, she would not be the first.
Nick Kyrgios stands as arguably the biggest example of this phenomenon, having actually reached a Wimbledon final without anyone offering him tactical advice in his box.
At which Grand Slam is Emma Raducanu most likely to win a second major title? Let us know why below 👇
John McEnroe also never had a coach, and Roger Federer, during one of his greatest ever periods from 2003 to 2004, did so without a coach too.
Another notable name to enjoy a period without a coach was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who did so for 18 months, reaching two Wimbledon semi-finals during that period.
