For the uninitiated, Emma Raducanu’s former coach Nick Cavaday split ways with her earlier this season. After she crashed out of the third round in Melbourne, against Iga Swiatek, Cavaday left while citing personal reasons. Guess what? After a string of early loses in four consecutive tournaments, Raducanu brought another coach, but on an interim basis. Slovakian Vlado Platenik joined her team for the Indian Wells. But she couldn’t perform well there and was ousted in R128 against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. Result? The Brit ended this partnership after just two weeks. Well, it was again time for change – for the 8th time in the past 4 years.
Before the Miami Open, she chose to have familiar faces in her camp. Alongside a longtime confidante and coach Jane O’Donoghue, Raducanu also brought in ex-British icon Mark Petchey. With Petchey, she was able to make an impressive run in Miami, reaching the quarterfinal before losing to Jessica Pegula. In Madrid, too, she looked in good touch, winning her first round against Dutch player Suzan Lamens. In the next round, though, she lost against a formidable opponent in Marta Kostyuk on Friday. But she put up a great fight, winning back in the second set after losing the first one. Kostyuk eventually won in the deciding set (6-4, 2-6, 6-2).
Now looking at Raducanu’s little, yet significant resurgence in form in the last one month under Petchey, former American pro Jim Courier has shared an interesting take. According to him, Petchey is the best coach she can have right now. Why?
Speaking to Tennis Channel, he threw light on their amazing chemistry and understanding from the past. “When Covid hit, they went to work together, in private in the UK, so he knew her before she became a star,” said Courier. During the pandemic summer of 2020, Emma Raducanu, then 17, spent several weeks training at the National Tennis Centre in London with Mark Petchey. These training sessions seem to have forged a strong connection between Raducanu, now 22, and Petchey, characterized by mutual respect and a good rapport.
“That’s obviously important for her in a time when she’s not been able to find a regular relationship with coaches.” Continuing further, Courier also hoped for a lasting collaboration between the two. “Relying on someone that she knew before it happened is really important, so I don’t know how long it can last, but frankly, the fact that they’re spending time together right now is really important. What I do hope is that it’s able to last at least through the grass court season.” Looks like a full circle moment!
Raducanu seeks stability on and off the court, a quality absent since her unexpected US Open victory four years ago. Petchey, familiar with the current World No. 49, understands her areas for improvement. Courier, noting this, identified a specific shot Petchey has seemingly already refined in Raducanu’s game.
“Grass is a surface where she first surfaced, she made the round 16 before she won the US Open at Wimbledon so for me, it’s about the building blocks for the grass court season. What I do know already is he’s already changed her service motion by adding more shoulder turn there which is the idea is to try and give her a little bit more disguise and a little more power. But I think overall this is a net positive for her on so many levels, we’ll see where it goes,” he added.
Thanks to her QF run in Miami, under Petchey, Raducanu broke into top 50 as well. While the future looks good for this partnership, the 22-year-old hasn’t yet shared the most important update. Will Petchey stay permanently?
Emma Raducanu hasn’t “made anything formal” with Mark Petchey
Before kicking off her Madrid campaign, Emma Raducanu sat down for an interaction with Sky Sports. There, she discussed the potential of a long-term collaboration with Petchey. When asked if her partnership with Petchey was a “formal situation,” Raducanu revealed, “No, we haven’t made anything formal.”
Continuing further she added, “It’s pretty informal for now, but it’s something that’s going really well and he’s someone that I feel like I can trust because I’ve known him for so long, before the US Open when I won it I think for now, it’s working really well and it’s nice to kind of be with someone I feel familiar and feel comfortable with,” she concluded.
Interestingly, Petchey is ex-British star Andy Murray’s former coach as well. He joined Murray in June 2005 and the partnership ran until April 2006. In this phase, Murray gained new heights as he skyrocketed from outside top 350 to under top 50 in rankings. He managed to capture 41st spot on the list to be precise. He also won his maiden ATP title in San Jose at mere 18.
One can only hope similar results for Raducanu in case she chooses to stick with Petchey for a long duration. What are your thoughts on the future of this collaboration? Also, can the Brit break back into top 10 under his tutelage? Let us know in the comments below.
The post As Emma Raducanu Rebuilds, Ex-ATP Pro Reveals Why Mark Petchey’s Influence Could Be the Turning Point appeared first on EssentiallySports.