Emma Raducanu can be a little stubborn at times, Mark Petchey acknowledges, but he also points out that some of the accusations against her are untrue because he adored teaching the 21-year-old.
The British tennis player spent ten months working with Andy Murray’s former coach Petchey before she was well-known or even popular on the WTA Tour. She briefly worked with Nigel Sears during the 2021 Wimbledon and was with Andrew Richardson when she notably won the US Open as a qualifier after splitting from the former world No. 80.
The British tennis player spent ten months working with Andy Murray’s former coach Petchey before she was well-known or even popular on the WTA Tour. She had previously worked with Nigel Sears during the 2021 Wimbledon and, after splitting from the former world No. 80, she was with Andrew Richardson when she won the US Open as a qualifier.
Raducanu, however, made the startling decision to fire the coach who helped her win her first Grand Slam shortly after her momentous victory at Flushing Meadows. Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs all had brief experiences with the Briton from early 2022 until mid-2023, but that proved to be just the start of her many coaching changes.
The criticism directed at her ongoing
There is ample evidence to support the accusation of her frequent coaching changes, and she has been accused of being too difficult to deal with. The former world No. 10 justified herself in one of her interviews by admitting that her instructors were unable to respond to some of the questions.
However, Raducanu has been collaborating with Nick Cavaday all year long this season. The 2021 US Open champion was “one of the best” to work with, according to her former coach Petchey, who previously worked with Maria Sakkari.
“Her application, drive, and curious inclination to learn about the game further impressed me during the ten months we worked together. You need her stubbornness in some areas, which is a terrific attribute in tennis. You must possess a certain amount of independence; you must be able to set aside concerns and entertain ideas that you may not always need to incorporate into your game, but you must think about them. I can only communicate from
The 21-year-old quickly encountered the unpleasant aspects of celebrity after becoming well-known and essentially a huge tennis star overnight. She began to battle with injuries and subpar performance, which sparked intense criticism and scrutiny. However, she was only 18 when she won and was just starting out on the WTA Tour.
She needs to shut out the noise, in my opinion. Although I believe that everyone will have an opinion about her and share it, people are attempting to put themselves in her position, which they have never been in before, even in their own lives or careers. However, stating these things from the outside while looking in is simple,” Petchey clarified.
“No blueprint or guidebook could have predicted what would happen in her life or career after her breakthrough victory at the US Open in 2021. As a player, it’s quite difficult to decline sponsorship and endorsement opportunities, particularly when you’re young and fresh to the tour. There aren’t many players that
The 2021 US Open champion sent a playful message to her detractors at the beginning of the Great Britain grass season, stating that she would only be concerned if people stopped talking about her and that unsuccessful individuals can never be criticized.
“I believe it just boils down to success—the criticism that managers and athletes receive when they are not performing well. Raducanu stated at the time, “I believe you should start to worry when they stop talking about you.”
Also, she said that she was acting independently and that no one outside her circle could influence her moves.
“I’m going to do things on my own time. I’m in no rush to do anything and everything I am doing and playing for now is for myself. Whether that’s tournament scheduling, whether that’s how much time I take off to train compared to compete, I think I’m just way more focused on my own lane and less susceptible to outside opinions or views. I’m just enjoying it, just doing everything for myself and really just being independent out here,” the British tennis star added in June
Raducanu, meanwhile, is anticipated to make a comeback at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after missing the final leg of the Asian swing due to a foot ailment.