Emma Raducanu has no immediate plans to appoint a new coach as she attempts to restart a frustrating season in the US next month. The British No. 1 will play at Indian Wells and the Miami Open in March without a full-time replacement for Francisco Roig – her ninth coach since turning pro – with whom she parted ways following her second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.
“Right now I wouldn’t say I’m actively looking for a coach,” Raducanu said in Tokyo, where she was unveiled Tuesday as global brand ambassador for Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo after ending her partnership with Nike.
“I think I had a great experience with Francis in terms of how we got along so well… the rapport was great. I think in the end we just weren’t on the same page on certain important aspects. But we still maintain a very good relationship.”
Raducanu, who has been without a tournament win since her shock victory at the 2021 US Open, said she would go to Indian Wells and Miami – where she reached the quarter-finals last year – with former British pro Alexis Canter, who oversaw her progress to the final of the Transylvania Open last month.
“Right now, I have Alexis in my corner,” she says. “He knows me as a person. He knows me as a player. And I’ve had some success with him this past year in Washington.” [where she overcame Naomi Osaka in the second round] and Cluj… so things are going well.
“I know the exercises I need to do right now… just a review of those important basics. I think I want to go back to that and [develop] a more aggressive playing style.”
The 23-year-old has struggled with injuries and illness since announcing her arrival on the world stage at Wimbledon five years ago. Last month, she retired during the third set of her first-round match with qualifier Camila Osorio at the Qatar Open after attempting to continue playing following a medical timeout. Raducanu had tried to put the disappointment behind her when she lost in straight sets to home favorite Sorana Cirstea in the Transylvania Open final, a match she described as “emotionally and physically very difficult”.
After overcoming what appeared to be a viral infection picked up in Romania, Raducanu said she was on the road to a full recovery.
“In Cluj, I think I was picked up like a virus at the beginning of the tournament,” she says. “So I had to deal with that and the after-effects… I had very long effects for the last three weeks. I’ve been trying to clear them out. So the trip to the Middle East was very difficult for me.
“I’m preparing for Indian Wells and just trying to get back to full health. And I still have a little bit of time, so I’m just looking forward to doing my best to be ready for that.”
Wimbledon is still months away, but Raducanu admitted she was already “incredibly excited” by the prospect of playing on home soil this summer.
“That month of the year on the grass is something very special that we as Brits all look forward to,” she says, recalling her 2021 Wimbledon debut, where she reached the fourth round as a wildcard in 338th place. Weeks later in New York she became the first British woman to win a grand slam title since Virginia Wade in 1977.
“[Wimbledon] was my first big tournament, my first big win, my first big match. And it has a special place,” she says. “And I feel like the British public has really seen so many different kinds of steps that I’ve taken growing up… my evolution. That’s where they saw me first.
“To have to withdraw from that match in the fourth round and then win the US Open a few months later… it’s pretty special. I feel like everyone has seen my history. So to go back [to Wimbledon] feels very comfortable.”
Raducanu, who had kept a low profile on social media prior to announcing her new role at Uniqlo – although she had completed a ‘stealth mission’ to one of the stores in Tokyo to buy a warm coat – was realistic about the prospects for ending the widespread online abuse of athletes, some of which was on display at the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
“For me, I’ve accepted that it’s going to keep happening,” she says. “No matter what everyone tries to do about it, it seems like there’s just too many people out there… that there’s no real way to stop it. It’s part of being in the spotlight or having a public presence. If I didn’t achieve anything, no one would be talking about me, so I think it’s important to be aware of that and accept that there’s no way to stop it.”
While Raducanu’s fans keep their fingers crossed for an injury-free spring and summer, the player says her well-documented misfortunes on the field will stand her in good stead in the coming months.
“Sport is a great way to teach you life lessons. I believe the biggest lesson I can learn from this is resilience. Because the season is so long – it’s eleven months of the year – it’s very difficult to be on the field all the time when you’re playing all these tournaments that are now being made mandatory.”
“Just doing your best every day and striving to be the best version of yourself is my goal. But I think if I know that whatever challenge comes my way, I may keep falling seven times, but I’m going to get up eight times. That’s something that sticks with me. It serves me pretty well in the tough moments.”
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