Emma Raducanu hires latest coach as past comments explain merry-go-round.
Emma Raducanu has added former Rafael Nadal coach Francisco Roig to her team as she looks to improve before the US Open – with the Spaniard joining her this week.
Emma Raducanu has enlisted the services of Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach, Francisco Roig, adding him to her extensive roster of mentors. The Spaniard is set to join the British No.1’s team this week.
This development follows Raducanu’s past explanation for a high turnover rate, when it comes to tennis mentors, suggesting that her relentless questioning might be overwhelming for most coaches.
In the past, Raducanu’s lengthy list of coaches, including Nigel Sears, Vladimir Platenik, Nick Cavaday, Sebastian Sachs and US Open partner Andrew Richardson, had raised eyebrows. However, in her previous interview (2023) with BBC Radio 4, the Grand Slam champion conceded that her “challenging” questions are, likely, one significant factor in her mentors’ departures.
Raducanu stated, at the time: “I ask my coaches a lot of questions. “On certain occasions they haven’t been able to keep up with the questions I’ve asked and maybe that’s why it ended.”
She further explained: “It’s something that I’ve always done. I keep provoking and asking questions to coaches and challenging their thinking as well.
“I’m not someone that you can just tell me what do and I’ll do it, I need to understand why and then I’ll do it.”
The former US Open champion bowed out of the Canadian Open last weekend, losing in straight sets to American Amanda Anisimova. Now, she’s set to compete in the Cincinnati Open, her final preparation for the US Open at the end of August, with Roig by her side.
