"I didn't really like her tennis": Andy Murray's former coach criticises Emma Raducanu's recent performances

Ex-coach of the former world number one Andy Murray, Mark Petchey, has raised concerns about Emma Raducanu after some disappointing performances recently. The 22-year-old was once regarded as the next big thing, especially when she lifted the US Open at the age of 18.

The most impressive aspect of Raducanu’s success in that particular competition was the fact that she started the competition from the qualifying round and still managed to go all the way and secure the ultimate prize after beating Canda’s Leylah Fernandez in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

Since then, however, not much has gone right for Raducanu, largely because of fitness concerns. The 2025 season started poorly for the former world number 10 as well. She was knocked out of the first Grand Slam of the year — the Australian Open — after losing in the third round to world number two Iga Swiatek in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-0. After that, she participated in the Singapore Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the first round to Cristina Bucșa with a score of 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.

Murray’s former coach, Petchey, has been recently quoted in a report by the English media outlet Daily Express, in which he expressed that he was not impressed by Raducanu’s performances. He stated that he is especially concerned about her service.

“For the first time, I would say that when I watched her in Australia and she got through to the third round, I didn't really like her tennis,” he said. “And that's the first time I could honestly say that. Emma's serve from round one looked a little awkward and I've never thought that about her game ever. That would be my biggest concern. I'm not ever concerned about her athleticism. I know she's a great athlete. It very quickly becomes quite a mental thing to overcome because if you lose confidence, particularly in your serve, it can become sort of terminal. It is the most important shot in men's and women's tennis and you don’t want to lose confidence in that for too long.”