Emma Raducanu has recalled her former coach, Andrew Richardson, as she gets ready for the 2026 tournament in Rome. He was the coach who helped her win the US Open in 2021.
That win was very special because Raducanu became the first player to come through qualifying and still win the whole tournament. She also did not lose a single set during that event.
Raducanu missed the Miami Open in March because she was sick with a viral illness. She also chose to skip clay-court tournaments in Linz and Madrid so she could recover properly.
This means her most recent match was at Indian Wells at the start of March.
Since ending her partnership with coach Francisco Roig after the Australian Open, Raducanu has been getting regular support from Alexis Canter.
Sharing his view, Sky Sports analyst and former British tennis player Tim Henman believes the 23-year-old does not necessarily need a coach right now and instead should focus on improving her physical fitness and strength.
“I just wonder whether she’s better off without a coach, and that’s nothing against Petch.
“He’s someone I’ve known for a long time, and he’s a very, very good coach, but we know it’s not going to be a full-time appointment because Petch has his broadcast commitments.
“Emma has talked about her identity, her game style, and she wants to own it. She’s been around long enough on the tour, so I wonder whether that might be a good option for her, but it’s her prerogative.
“I worked with three coaches in 15 years. I like the consistency and continuity, and we know that coaches don’t last long working with Emma.
“An aggressive game style is how you have to play. You have got to be aggressive because if you don’t, your opponent will be, and for me. I want to see her build her physicality: to get stronger, more resilient, to hit the ball harder.
“And I think if she does that, that’ll mean that she has fewer interruptions and fewer setbacks physically. She’ll be able to compete at a high level for longer periods, so if I could add one element, it would be the physical side.
“Raducanu does work on her physical side. I think her tennis game is outstanding, but when you think of the physicality of Sabalenka, Swiatek, Rybakina, Gauff, she’s not in the same league.
Raducanu made her first appearance at the Italian Open in 2022, soon after her breakthrough 2021 season. Since then, her runs in Rome have been quite short, as she has not gone far into the later rounds.
Clay courts, which are used at this event, have been a challenging surface for her, and she is still learning how to adjust her game.
Last year, she was knocked out in the first round, losing to Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets, 6–2, 6–4.
