Grand Slam legend John McEnroe has admitted to being “surprised” by Emma Raducanu and her decision to part ways with her former coach. 

Last month, Raducanu announced she was splitting with renowned coach Torben Beltz after just five months of working together.

Beltz was the third coach that Raducanu had parted ways with in just nine months, as she split from Nigel Sears after her Wimbledon breakthrough and did not extend her trial with Andrew Richardson after her historic US Open triumph.

Since the Madrid Open, Raducanu has been working with the LTA and will do so “in the interim.”

The 19-year-old’s coaching decisions have come under scrutiny, with former British professional tennis player Barry Cowan calling for Raduncanu to find consistency. 

Discussing the coaching choices of Emma Raducanu, John McEnroe said he did not always believe in having a coach himself as a player either, however does believe that it was a surprising move ahead of the Paris Grand Slam to part ways with Beltz.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion told reporters in a recent interview, “I didn’t believe in a full-time coach either so it really depends on the player.

“These days, it seems every player has a coach and I don’t recall who it was when she won the US Open, but I must admit I was surprised they parted ways after she won that.

“It was an incredible shock for her to win that. I’m not sure where she is physically or mentally right now.

“She obviously did something spectacular at the US Open and you would try to, in some ways, replicate what she was feeling at that time to allow her to play freely.

“That’s a lot harder now because the expectations are a lot higher so she has to find a group that can get her comfortable and allow her to train in a way that she understands is good for her and be able to go on the court and feel some type of joy and happiness playing.

“That’s the trick. But there is no way to do that or understand how to do that unless you understand the person. That’s the job of a coach or people around her to get her to a place to do what she does best.”

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