Raducanu’s ‘most dispiriting’ Slam display…what went wrong? Here I give my post match analysis, with a small article that follows.
British number one Emma Raducanu has split with coach Francis Roig after her exit from the Australian Open. The 23-year-old lost to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova in straight sets in the second round at the Australian Open. Roig, who helped Rafael Nadal win 16 of his 22 major titles, began working with Raducanu in August.
“Thank you for our time together,” Raducanu posted on Instagram. “You have been more than a coach to me and I will cherish the many good times we spent together on and off the court. “While we have come to the conclusion together that we ought not to move forward, please know I am very grateful for all you have taught me and fond of our time shared.”
Roig’s departure means Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, finds herself in familiar territory…the beginning of another search for a new coach. Raducanu has had eight full-time head coaches throughout her young career.
After her Australian Open exit, Raducanu said: “I want to be playing a different way. I just want to hit the ball to the corners and hard. “I feel like I’m doing all this variety, and it’s not doing what I want it to do. I need to work on playing in a way more similar to how I was playing when I was younger.”
Some interpreted the comments as friction between the player and her coach. She was asked about being on the same page as Roig and Raducanu said: “I didn’t play how I wanted to play because I wasn’t hitting any shots particularly well. It’s tough to take an assessment when you’re completely off. “Me and Francis have done some amazing work together in the past few months and I’ve improved so many different aspects of my game. I think it’s difficult to say we don’t agree.”
Raducanu is next scheduled to play at the Transylvania Open in Romania from February 1-7. Since winning the 2021 US Open, her only WTA Tour title, Raducanu has battled injuries and a never ending search for the right coaching partnership. Tennis fans and media alike will ask the same question: Who will Raducanu hire next?
