Emma Raducanu’s coach Mark Petchey reveals he ‘wanted to fix’ key elements of her game
Mark Petchey has opened up on his decision to work with Emma Raducanu, as the respected coach revealed he already knew the areas of the game he wanted to work on before he got the call from the 2021 US Open champion.
Former British Davis Cup star Petchey joined the Raducanu team on a part-time basis at the start of the Miami Open and his input had an instant impact, as the Brit enjoyed her best performance of the year to reach the quarter-finals.
She has gone on to enjoy her best clay court campaign as well, even though Petchey is only available around his commitments to the Tennis Channel, where he works as a leading pundit.
Speaking to TNT Sports in Paris, Petchey opened up on his partnership with Raducanu, as he admitted he had been watching her progress and knew what he needed to do when he got a chance to work with her on court.
“I knew Emma since 2020 and I kind of have been tracking a few things,” he said.
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“So when she asked me to help in Miami, I was aware of the things that I wanted to change, or help her and see whether it helped her – more weight on the racket changing the string pattern for example.
“Serve was something that she wasn’t feeling comfortable with, which is what we worked on a new motion in LA. The strings, to be fair, I think, have really helped her forehand, particularly on the clay.”
Petechey went on to suggest his input into her game changed her focus on clay courts as he added: “If you can break the sidelines, on the clay court, you’ve got a great chance of dominating the rallies.
“I like the challenge for her, because, you know, in the last few weeks, obviously, she’s played some really good players and some big ball hitters, and I think that’s been important to her.
“Listen, I was I was still reading an interview from Alex De Minaur today, and he was talking about the improvements that he’s made and still feels like he needs to make.
“And I think that everybody needs to understand that, you know, Emma at this stage of her career, despite what she’s already achieved, has some work ahead of her to be the best player that she can be.”
Tennis legend Chris Evert also gave her verdict to TNT Sports on Raducanu, who is closing in on a return to the top 32 of the WTA Rankings and a potential seeding at Wimbledon next month.
“I’m very impressed with Emma,” said Evert. “I think what I see in her, I look at her face first before I look at her game, and when she’s on the court, she is showing the commitment.
“She is showing a little more focus and passion for the game. I think she’s finally realised that the US Open was a great, unbelievable win for her, but she’s at a different stage right now. She’s got to build she has to build her game up to get to that level again.
“But I’ve been impressed. She’s hitting the ball solid, her groundies look good and I love her attitude.
“Mark Petchey has been great for her as the coach, hopefully, she’ll stick with him because she’s had a lot of different coaches. But things are looking good for him. She’s showing emotion. It shows me that she wants it really badly now.”
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