Emma Raducanu’s woes were compounded on Monday when she lost to world number 67 Antonia Ruzic at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Since reaching the Transylvania Open final, Raducanu has lost two consecutive opening-round matches at the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.
In Doha, Raducanu was forced to retire against Camila Osorio with the score at 6-4, 4-6, 0-2.
Raducanu again suffered physical issues – taking a medical timeout at the end of the first set.
Emma Raducanu won her first Grand Slam too soon – Prove me wrong!
After going 6-1, 5-3 down, Raducanu fought valiantly to level the match at one set all, before taking a 2-0 lead in the final set.
From there, Raducanu quickly faded, losing six consecutive games.
Following the British star’s loss in the UAE, it is clear what she must do next.
Emma Raducanu must hire a new coach after losing in Dubai
It seemed Emma Raducanu had made the right move in parting ways with Roig after reaching the final in Romania.
However, following two poor results in Doha and Dubai, hiring another coach would be the smart move.
Alexis Canter has remained a part of Raducanu’s coaching team for the best part of two years, and Raducanu recently revealed that he would remain her coach for the foreseeable future following her split with Roig.
Raducanu has enjoyed success under the tutelage of Canter, reaching the semifinals of the singles and doubles events at the Washington Open last year.
While Canter is certainly a positive influence in the Raducanu camp, the British star could do with adding another experienced coaching figure to her team.
You only have to look at the success Mark Petchey had with Raducanu to understand how important the right coach is for a player.
Who should be Emma Raducanu’s next coach?
Under Petchey’s tutelage, Raducanu produced the most consistent tennis of her career, going 20-10 between March and August last year.
Could Petchey return to Raducanu’s camp? It certainly wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Emma Raducanu’s coach when she won the US Open
Emma Raducanu was working with Nigel Sears when she reached the fourth round of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships at 18 years old.
Raducanu began working with Andrew Richardson shortly afterwards, and under Richardson’s tutelage, Raducanu won the US Open.
Their coaching relationship did not last. Just weeks after winning her maiden Grand Slam title, Raducanu parted ways with Richardson.
Since then, Raducanu has worked with Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, Vladimir Platenik, Mark Petchey and Francisco Roig.
