Emma Raducanu confirms new ‘switched on’ coach is still on a trial and reveals her big goal for 2023
Emma Raducanu has spoken highly of the “calming influence” of Sebastian Sachs, but the former US Open champion has admitted that she has not yet appointed him as her full-time coach.
The 20-year-old has been without a coach since she parted ways with Dmitry Tursunov, who was also working with her on a trial basis, in October after the Russian opted to take up the role as Belinda Bencic’s full-time mentor.
However, Raducanu is enjoying working with Sachs, but he is not yet permanent.
“We are trialling until the end of the year and just seeing how it goes really,” she is quoted as saying by the BBC.
“It’s been going well. I’ve done a week with him so far and I think he’s a really calm influence. He’s on it, switched on, and yeah, I’m excited to see how it goes.”
Sachs is Raducanu’s fifth coach in the past 18 months as she has also worked with Torben Beltz, Andrew Richardson and Nigel Sears since making her breakthrough at Wimbledon last year.
The 2021 US Open winner has struggled to replicate the form that won her the title at Flushing Meadows and has dropped to outside the top 70 of the WTA Rankings after a string of poor results.
However, it has not only been poor form that has caused her to slump, but also injuries as she has struggled with blisters, illness, back problems and a wrist injury.
Raducanu, who returned to action at the Mubadala exhibition event in Abu Dhabi this week following several weeks out of action with a wrist problem, feels she has turned the corner.
“Physically, body, injury-wise I’m good now, I’m clear. Touch wood it stays like that,” she said.
The world No 76 added: “I really worked on my fitness the last two months, less on the tennis court. So I’m just trying to get my feeling on the court.”
“I really obviously want to work hard, try to get back on court as much as possible but I could overdo it if I didn’t really think it through because I want to be back on court so much.
“I just need to maybe cut down a little bit on the hours sometimes.”
The 20-year-old played in 18 tournaments in 2022 with her win-loss record 17–19 while the closest she came to a title was at the Korea Open where she reached the semi-final.
So what is her big goal for the 2023 campaign?
“I want to be able to go out there and just focus on the tennis,” she said. “I think this year I’m in a better position but it’s still going to take some time to develop fully.
“I think my goal in 2023 is probably to win a title.”
