“After what happened at the US Open... that, to me, was mind-boggling" – Emma Raducanu’s coach come into question after reuniting following prior departure

It seems that Emma Raducanu's reunion with Andrew Richardson has been a positive decision. She reached only a third WTA final at Queen's Club Championships in front of a home crowd in a much-needed upturn in form. While the decision to get back with her old coach was mostly met with positive reviews, former British number one John Lloyd questioned whether he should have returned.

The reason for this being the abrupt departure after he guided Raducanu to that 2021 US Open title. Following that breakout run at Wimbledon just a couple of months before, the Brit chose to partner with Richardson in what would be a hugely inspired decision.

However, after winning that title, Raducanu decided to press on without him by her side. Since then, she has gone through a huge amount of coaches, unable to find the right person for her. This has resulted in the call to Richardson wanting him back.

The British number one started the year with Francisco Roig, but it would only last another month with the Spaniard leaving after the Australian open. She would be without a coach for much of 2026, reaching the Transylvania Open final before a virus plagued her progress. Only managing two matches on clay, the transition to grass was a huge opportunity for her to get some ranking points on the board and mount a climb back up the order.

Now back in the top 32 thanks to that final run at Queen's, Raducanu has decided to keep herself fit and fresh for Wimbledon, choosing not to play on anymore grass tournaments on home soil with the Grand Slam her overall priority.

In an interview with Tennis365, Lloyd felt unsure whether Richardson should have gone back to Raducanu after their original split years ago.

“Well, I mean, no one else has said this, so I’ll probably get in trouble… but to be honest, if I was Andrew Richardson, I would have thought long and hard accepting to come back,” Lloyd said. “After what happened at the US Open… that, to me, was mind-boggling. And then she comes back to him when she needs help."

He did put his opinions aside to wish Raducanu and Richardson well hopeful that their partnership could again flourish. “But whatever, that’s another topic, and that’s for them to see that they’ve worked it out, and they’re fine. I just hope that she sticks with him and gives him a fair chance.

Raducanu has been through nine separate coaches since her breakthrough in 2021. That is an extortionate number with her seemingly in the news regularly about another change by her side. Lloyd compared it to a certain English football team who bestow a similar reputation.

“I said at one stage it was like Watford of having a revolving door of coaches," he commented. "It doesn’t work. So hopefully, there will be a bit of longevity here. And Andrew’s very good at what he does, he’s had big success with her, and she obviously feels comfortable."

Still confused why they did not continue together in the first place, he was in full praise of Raducanu's ability on court and based off that run at Queen's saw a glistening future for the 23-year-old. “No idea why it ended in the first place — that was the most illogical thing I’ve seen for years. But they’re back now, so that’s the main thing, and she played great [at Queen’s], and she’s going to move up those rankings — she’s damn good.”