"I don't envy her, being judged every week on a result that happened five years ago": Mark Petchey hopes Emma Raducanu ignores criticism to thrive under Andrew Richardson
WTAThursday, 25 June 2026 at 16:16
Emma Raducanu as ever heads into Wimbledon as the leading female tennis player from the UK and likely will get Centre Court billing and the spotlight put onto her again.
Something that Mark Petchey, who has coached her on and off over the past 18 months says he doesn't envy her for. Raducanu ever since she has won the US Open in 2021 has been brought up and in many ways also shot down as she failed to replicate the results straight away.
"I love Emma to bits," Petchey said as Sky Sports. "I'll take a bullet for her. I think her situation is so unique. I don't envy her life, being judged every single week on a result that happened five years ago, that was an amazing story, was an absolute fairy tale.
"She's a hell of a tennis player. But it's challenging because, if you don't win another one, it's deemed a sub-optimal outcome.
"And I think, for her, it's been a very hard process to grow up as an 18-year-old, in the glare of the spotlight, with everything that came - everyone would have done the same, but they say they wouldn't have done the same. That's the thing that I find really hard, the cognitive dissonance from people.
"She can win another one for sure, I've always believed that about her. If she can find a way to just do the ordinary in an extraordinary way, every single day, and not look for a shortcut back to where she was in '21, she'll be fine."
She has since rejoined Andrew Richardson after it was very much that Petchey wouldn't ever be there permanently and that she can tick it off the list if it goes wrong so there is nothing really to not love about the move. "There's so many things I love about it. We obviously had a conversation because my situation was never really going to change and she needed to find somebody.
"And I think going back to what she remembers as an amazing time of her life is perfect, and I think it will be very positive for her. I think they will have a great relationship.
"I also think that it was necessary almost for both of them, to have this time again, because there's so many people that said she should never have got rid of Andrew. Even if it doesn't work, at least you can cross that off the list."
Great Britain's Emma Raducanu with the runners up trophy following her loss to Croatia's Donna Vekic after the Women's singles final match on day seven of the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club
But heading onto grass, Petchey mooted that in his view it is her best surface and she now has to live her life still being young with freedom over trying to recount something that happened five years ago.
"I thought I knew quite a lot about what to expect," he said. "There is a mystery about Emma that really fascinates people. And it's like, 'Oh, OK, these people are borderline obsessed about everything'."
"Everyone knows that things could have been handled differently - but not by her," said Petchey.
"She was 18. That's not on her, but there are a lot of adults in the room that clearly will need to look at themselves.
"The lucky thing for her is she won it so young, she had this period to figure stuff out, and she's now just 23 and has still got a lot of runway ahead in tennis if she decides to use it. Especially on the grass, because there's no question in my mind this is her best surface.
"I think she needs to live and have her career from here on in on her terms. You get a zero pointer? Who cares? Don't play the tournament. Just do what's going to make you happy.
"Give yourself the chance at the four majors, because I'll back you against anyone.
Criticism should brush away and open to help whenever
He added that people will criticise either way so she should just give herself a blank slate and allow herself to go for it without the pressure. "Don't worry so much about the ranking and worry more about being in the right position to have a run at a tournament every single time you tee it up, because you're not like everyone and don't feel like it's a negative.
"You could have the longest career of all time if you decide to do that. If you keep doing it like everyone else is telling you to do it, and everyone else is doing it, you're probably going to have a short career. People are going to criticise anyway, whichever way you do it."
As for Petchey, he is always open to helping his former charge but said that in reality out of sight out of mind and that if he doesn't get the call, he knows she's happy.
"If she needs me," he added. "The best thing is probably when my phone doesn't beep, because then I know she's happy."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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