- The 20-year-old and Sebastian Sachs who was her fifth coach split up in June 2023
- Raducanu’s coaching journey started with Nigel Sears
- He resigned as her coach before their Wimbledon run in July 2021
Since her US Open win in 2021, Emma Raducanu has had five tennis coaches, and she explains that her personality is to blame for all this.
She says that her thought-provoking and demanding questions explain why she has had a lot of coaches in just two years on tour.
The 20-year-old and Sebastian Sachs who was her fifth coach split up in June 2023.
She said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 Today show that most of her coaches couldn’t keep up with her questions. They end up falling off the way.
“I ask a lot of questions of my coaches. On certain occasions, they haven’t been able to keep up with the questions I’ve asked them and maybe that’s why they don’t follow through.
Emma Raducanu. Photo/Sky Sports
“It’s something I’ve always done. I keep provoking and asking questions to the coaches and challenging their thinking as well. I’m not someone you can tell me what to do and I will do it. I need to understand why and then I will do it,” she stated.
Raducanu’s coaching journey started with Nigel Sears, who resigned as her coach before their Wimbledon run in July 2021. Following that, Andrew Richardson guided her to victory at Flushing Meadows.
In November 2021, Torben Beltz took over as her coach but resigned in April 2022. He was succeeded by Dimitri Tursunov but this move sparked controversy since the British tennis player picked Tursunov, a Russian, at the height of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is then that she picked Sachs but cut ties shortly thereafter. Her agent Max Eisenbud while speaking on Tennis Podcast in the past said that at her age, it is normal to have different coaches after a short while.
He added that it is a reality that Raducanu and her parents are alive to.
“They never had coaches for a long time. You’ve probably heard of that. For them, that is calm waters, having a coach for five months and going on to someone else. That is not traditional and not the norm for most to win a Grand Slam and change your coach,” Eisenbud said.
Shortly after this interview, Rick Macci, who formerly coached Serena and Venus Williams said he doesn’t mind being her coach moving forward.
Rick Macci. Photo/ YouTube
Macci, is eager to work with Raducanu and believes he can help her win another Grand Slam. He has reached out to Raducanu’s agent, expressing his desire to coach her and is optimistic about the potential partnership.
He acknowledges that there are varied opinions about Raducanu’s career, largely due to her remarkable victory at the 2021 US Open at the age of 18.
Macci understands that the increased press attention since then has been challenging for her, and he aims to support her in rising above it.
He emphasizes the importance of getting to know her goals, as he hopes she aspires to become the world’s number one and believes in her ability to win more Grand Slams.
Macci sees Raducanu as a great athlete with technical prowess and a strong serve, making her a promising talent for the future.
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