Emma Raducanu gets candid advice as she is told to copy Roger Federer coaching move

Ewan West 17 Feb 2026 3:00 PM

Emma Raducanu and Greg Rusedski

Former world No 4 Greg Rusedski believes Emma Raducanu could benefit from spending time without a coach in the same way that tennis legend Roger Federer did.

Raducanu ended her partnership with Francisco Roig — the eighth different permanent coach of her professional career — following her second round exit at the Australian Open last month.

Roig, a renowned Spanish coach who worked with the great Rafael Nadal for 17 years, had been hired by Raducanu in August last year.

Raducanu has been assisted by Alexis Canter, an LTA coach, on a temporary basis since her split with Roig.

What advice did Greg Rusedski offer Emma Raducanu?

Speaking on the latest episode of his Off Court With Greg podcast, Rusedski suggested that Raducanu should not rush into making another permanent coaching appointment.

“Well, I remember Roger Federer going through a period by himself without a coach, and it was possibly the best thing for him,” said the 1997 US Open finalist.

“Because he kind of figured out certain things himself, took ownership of it.

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“We saw her (Raducanu) in Romania get to the finals. Yes, she did not perform as well as she would like in the finals.

“She had Canter there, who was hitting with her the week before. And he’s a young guy who goes out with her and basically hits the balls, does the drills. He’s doing some work with her.

“So she has actually got to figure it out herself and figure out the relationship where she sees eye-to-eye with the coach on how she wants to play out there.

“With Mark Petchey, she was playing more aggressive, she was going after it, she played really well at Wimbledon, losing to [Aryna] Sabalenka in the right manner.

“That’s where she’s got to have that mindset with a coach where they agree on how she has to play, what her techniques need to be on the court, and have that clarity.

“So a little bit of time away without a coach right now, maybe with someone who is just travelling with her, hitting with her, might be a real positive until she finds somebody who she is on the same page with week in and week out, because she hasn’t found that person yet. Hopefully she does.”

Emma Raducanu’s results since parting ways with Francisco Roig

After the Australian Open, Raducanu was a runner-up at the Transylvania Open WTA 250 in Romania — her first final since she won the 2021 US Open.

The 23-year-old Brit was then forced to retire in her opening match at the Qatar Open before she suffered a first round loss at the Dubai Championships.