Emma Raducanu’s ex-coach reveals star’s ‘difficult’ spell in revealing comments

Oli Dickson Jefford 29 Aug 2025 6:00 AM

Emma Raducanu and former coach Mark Petchey.

Emma Raducanu heads into her US Open third-round clash against Elena Rybakina full of confidence, playing perhaps her best tennis since her stunning triumph at this very tournament in 2021.

A 60-minute victory over Janice Tjen was her quickest-ever win at a Grand Slam tournament, and was her 26th victory of 2025 – the most wins she has ever recorded in a season.

Firmly established back inside the top 40 of the WTA Rankings, and with just six gams dropped across her US Open campaign so far, Raducanu has never felt as dangerous on the WTA Tour as she does now.

However, as recently as six months ago, that was not the case.

Raducanu reached round three of the Australian Open in January, but her tennis was far from convincing, and she was beaten heavily by Iga Swiatek in the round of 32.

Heading into the Miami Open, the 22-year-old had an underwhelming 3-6 record for the season and had to deal with being confronted by a stalker at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

However, Miami proved to be a significant turning point in Raducanu’s season.

After a disappointing loss in Indian Wells the previous week, the Brit would go on to reach her first WTA 1000 quarter-final in Miami, picking up a top-10 win over Emma Navarro on the way.

After coaching uncertainty, Raducanu returned to her former coach, Mark Petchey, at the tournament, and their success meant they kept working together for the rest of the summer.

Strong performances at the Italian Open and Wimbledon were among the highlights of their partnership, with the path for Raducanu’s recent resurgence firmly set.

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And, speaking with OLGB, Petchey believes that Raducanu’s Miami run was key to her rediscovering her confidence and her love for the sport.

He said: “Coaching Emma was awesome. Everybody knows it was a very roundabout way that we got involved with each other in Miami.

“She was obviously in a slightly difficult spot, and I was there commentating, so I ended up being able to help her out.

“That was kind of going to be it. Then obviously she had a great week, and I was able to figure out a way to try and do both for the past three or four months.

“From my perspective, I hope people can really understand how much she loves tennis.

“She’s totally invested in it. She watches it all the time. She practices as hard as anyone I know and has spent more time on the court, or as much time on the court, as everybody else. And obviously she’s living a very different life.”

Raducanu enters Friday’s match against ninth seed Rybakina, a fellow one-time Grand Slam champion, as the underdog.

Former world No 3 Rybakina reached the semi-final of all three of her hard-court warm-up events this summer, and dropped just one game when she beat Raducanu at the 2022 Sydney International.

However, that sole meeting came over three-and-a-half years ago, during which time the Brit was still looking to find her feet on tour after her shock US Open win.

Raducanu has improved dramatically since then and appears more established than ever towards the very top of the WTA Tour, guided by new coach Francisco Roig.

“She’s living a lot of her career in reverse, and that’s not been easy,” added Petchey.

“Having set the bar so high so early on in your career, every week you are measured not just by other people’s expectations but also your own expectations. That is a good thing because it drives you to be as good as you can be.

“But on the other hand, it’s difficult, because at times it can feel like you’re not hitting the standard you want to because that’s where your bar is at.

“From that perspective, her work ethic and her desire to be able to do what she did back in 2021 is as great as I remember it in 2020 when I first had a chance to work with her.”

One advantage Raducanu may have against Rybakina is her pedigree in New York.

Though she was beaten in the opening round in 2022 and 2024, she did, of course, win 10 straight matches during her 2021 campaign.

In contrast, Rybakina has never made it past the third round at the tournament, with her 2025 campaign now her joint-best New York result as things stand.

The match will be one of the most fascinating of the third round, with the winner facing either Marketa Vondrousova or seventh seed Jasmine Paolini.