2023 has not been kind to Emma Raducanu. The Brit has missed out on most of the season’s major tournaments due to a hip and ankle injury, while also parting ways with coach Sebastian Sachs in May.
The 20-year-old has offered her explanation for the changes she made to her coaching staff, but many still find her constant expungement of coaches too radical for such a short span. However, one British tennis legend has backed the Bromley native by understanding her motives.
Henman reflects on Raducanu’s unconventional approach
In Emma Raducanu’s own words, many coaches couldn’t ‘keep up’ with her incessant questioning. In May, Emma underwent a series of surgeries to correct her afflictions and then immediately split with her coach.
Tim Henman, a former British No. 1 player, offered his outlook on Emma’s knack of shifting things up. He personally believed that it was “horses for courses” and could work in her case.
“It’s horses for courses. It’s unusual. But you could say that it’s worked for her. For me, I worked with three coaches for 15 years, so I liked that consistency and continuity,” he said.
“In tennis it’s not so unusual to change [coaches]. Sometimes you share coaches and there are different ways of doing it. I’m not sure where Emma’s at right now in terms of her rehab, how much time she’s able to spend on court,” he added.
Tim Henman had previously commented on Emma’s slide down the WTA ranking table after her injury-related absence from the tennis court and was optimistic of the young Brit bouncing back.
Emma Raducanu is currently recuperating from an injury and will assess her situation before making a much-expected comeback to professional tennis.
Emma Raducanu changes five different coaches over two years
Emma Raducanu hired coach Nigel Sears in early 2021 before firing him to partner with Andrew Richardson. The British coach would guide Emma to her first record-breaking grand slam victory at the 2021 US Open.
In what were ominous signs for coaches around the world, Emma parted ways with Richardson less than two weeks after her victory. The pattern has sustained as Emma has hired and fired Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs since then—a total of five different coaches in two years.
Strong-headed Emma views herself as someone who doesn’t follow orders without understanding the reason behind them. In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Emma Raducanu explained her stance.
“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 said.
It is interesting to see who Emma will hire, how she will perform under his tutelage and how long the partnership would last. As for now, Emma is looking to make a comeback as soon as possible.
What are your opinions on Emma Raducanu’s constant changes made to her coaching staff? Let us know in the comments section below.
