Emma Raducanu has had a rough year and it’s only March. A back injury forced her to withdraw from her first tournament of the season. Then came the bizarre incident where she got bitten by ants before the Australian Open. But the worst was a terrifying stalker encounter in Dubai. She was so shaken that she crouched under the umpire’s chair after spotting him in the crowd. After that, Raducanu tried to reset at Indian Wells, but things didn’t go her way. She suffered a first-round loss to Moyuka Uchijima. But finally, some good news. The Brit has, for the first time, advanced to the second round of the Miami Open. However, an Emma-versus-Emma battle is now on the horizon. So, what does Raducanu think about this unique matchup?
The 2021 US Open champion secured her spot in the second round with a dominant performance against Sayaka Ishii. She needed just over an hour to dispatch the Japanese teenager at Hard Rock Stadium, winning 6-2, 6-1. Raducanu got off to a flying start, taking the first two games. Ishii fought back and leveled at 2-2, but that was as close as it got. The Brit turned up the heat, winning four straight games to claim the first set. In the second set, she extended her winning streak to nine consecutive games, leaving Ishii—ranked 188th in the world—struggling to keep up.
With this victory, the 22-year-old now faces eighth seed Emma Navarro on Friday. Speaking about the upcoming clash in her on-court interview, she said, “It’s going to be an extremely challenging match. I think it will be a match where she’s probably in better form, so I think I can go out and try and express myself and compete for every point.” She further added, “She’s a great person. I think on the tour she’s someone I warm to and would like to say ‘hello’ to, so it will be a double Emma whenever we play.”
Emma Raducanu on facing Navarro next in Miami
“It’s gonna be an extremely challenging match. I think I can just go out & try & express myself & compete for every point. She’s a great person. One of the people you’d warm to & say hi.”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 19, 2025
Raducanu has never faced Navarro before, but she knows she’s up against a tough opponent. Navarro has been in stellar form this season. The American tennis star reached the quarterfinals in Adelaide and at the Australian Open. Then, in early March, she won the Merida Open Akron title. Despite a disappointing early exit in Indian Wells, Navarro is a serious threat.
History isn’t exactly on the British tennis star’s side, either. The 22-year-old had never made it past the first round in Miami before. In 2022, she fell in the second round to Katerina Siniakova. In 2023, Bianca Andreescu took her down in another three-set battle. But Raducanu’s biggest challenge might not even be her opponent. It could be the fact that she doesn’t seem to have a coach right now.
Emma Raducanu’s coaching woes continue
Emma Raducanu’s coaching situation is, once again, uncertain. She has parted ways with Vladimir ‘Vlado’ Platenik after just one match. The Slovakian coach was in her box for her Indian Wells loss to Uchijima but was nowhere to be seen during her Miami win. Their partnership was already off to an awkward start when Platenik gave an interview to Slovakian media. He claimed he had rejected two previous offers to coach Raducanu because it would have been “coaching suicide.”
According to the ‘The i Paper’ she maintains “the utmost respect for Platenik but believed the relationship wasn’t heading in the right direction.” Raducanu had only just hired him two weeks ago on a trial basis after splitting with Nick Cavaday in January.
Her coaching history has been a revolving door. She was guided by Nigel Sears when she made her breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2021. Then, Andrew Richardson helped her achieve her stunning US Open victory. But after that, she went through a series of brief partnerships with Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs before circling back to Cavaday.The British coach seemed like a solid long-term option. He had coached her as a junior and helped her climb back into the world’s top 60 last year after injuries derailed her 2023 season. But despite Raducanu’s hopes for stability, Cavaday stepped away for personal reasons.
Now, she’s being supported by LTA coach Colin Beecher and longtime mentor Jane O’Donoghue, who has been a familiar face in her camp for years. Her fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, is also by her side. For now, Emma Raducanu is doing it her way. But can she pull off a deep run at the Miami Open without a coach?
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