‘Misunderstood Emma Raducanu will win more big titles’ as Brit’s ‘one priority’ is revealed by ex-coach
Emma Raducanu has been defended over her confident approach and described as “misunderstood” by her former coach Mark Petchey ahead of the 2025 Australian Open.
Petchey, a former world No 80 and renowned tennis commentator, believes Raducanu’s forehand is the shot that will be crucial for the Brit as he predicted big titles “are coming her way.”
Raducanu will begin her 2025 season at the Australian Open, which will run from January 12-26, after she was forced to withdraw from last week’s WTA 250 event in Auckland due to a minor back injury.
The 2021 US Open champion has lost in the second round in each of her three previous appearances at the Australian Open. The 22-year-old Brit will be unseeded in Melbourne due to her current world ranking of 60.
Raducanu finished the 2024 season as the world No 57 after amassing a 21-13 record — an impressive feat given she started the year ranked outside the top 300. She is yet to reach a final since her stunning US Open title run.
Petchey, who coached Raducanu briefly in 2020, has backed the former world No 10 for her self-assured statements as he highlighted the ruthless nature of the tennis world.
“There’s no doubt that she is misunderstood,” he told Betway. “If there was an Olympic event for cutting people down who have been successful, as a nation, we (Great Britain) would win the gold medal for it every four years.
“She’s had to deal with so much which must be incredibly hard for a youngster who is on the cover of every magazine and everybody’s favourite tennis player after the US Open. Obviously when things don’t go from strength to strength, attitudes of some people change.
“She’s already getting called a one-Slam wonder like she’s never going to win one again, and that must be incredibly difficult to deal with. People love to take pot shots at her but there’s a lot more to her than just being a tennis player.
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“There is so much more to her personality, and she has so many other interests which people don’t realise.
“She’s not arrogant, but you’ve got to be confident. You’ve got to believe in yourself to exist and survive. Let alone thrive.
“Tennis is a ruthless hostile environment where you have at a Grand Slam, 127 other players who absolutely want to beat your brains out.
“They want the same dream that you’re fighting for, the same trophy and only one person is going to put a pair of hands on that silverware at the end of it. So, if you don’t back yourself, no one else is going to back you.”
The former British No 1 also explained why he feels Raducanu’s forehand should be her top priority as he drew comparison with tennis great Andy Murray — another player he coached.
“I know the service is something that she’s been working on trying to move the ball around to all corners of the box,” Petchey added.
“She was relatively predictable with where she was going to serve and the success rate that she was going to serve.
“So, credit to Nick [Cavaday] and Emma that they’ve had a look at that and they’re starting to try and move things around in terms of trying to make sure that there’s an unpredictability to her game.
“The forehand is always going to be the shot — as it was for Andy [Murray] — that is going to win the big titles that are coming her way.
“For me, that is something in the off-season that you want to make sure is in peak condition ahead of the Australian Open.
“If there was one priority, it would be to make sure that that forehand is the devastating shot that it can be and as reliable as possible.
“It needs to be multi-pronged. It can’t just be reliable and it can’t be just like a rally winner, it needs to be able to do both things at the same time.”
