Emma
Raducanu explained the reasons for returning to work with her childhood coach,
Nick Cavaday, after her surgeries. The 21-year-old tennis player has made
constant changes to her team since the beginning of her career.
After 2021,
even before winning the US Open title, Raducanu has undergone constant coaching
changes, which for many could be one of the reasons behind the British player's
difficulties in establishing herself definitively among the best on the WTA
Tour.
The former
world No. 10 partnered with Cavaday, her coach from junior days, marking her
8th coaching change in three years. Raducanu explained the decision to resume
working with Cavaday: “I mean I’ve known him for a long time so it’s the
familiarity aspect, it’s very nice,” Raducanu told Sky Sports. “I feel we just
work in the same way.”
“I think a
lot of coaches wouldn’t really understand the way that I like to operate and a
lot of players wouldn’t understand how he likes to operate so I think we’re
very complimentary of each other,” she added.
With only
five tournaments under her belt, Raducanu has showcased a commendable level of
play, even though she hasn't secured consecutive victories yet. The former
Grand Slam champion is currently competing in
Indian Wells and advanced to the
second round after a convincing win against Rebeka Masarova (6-2, 6-3). Her
next challenge will be against the 30th seed, Dayana Yastremska.
Raducanu's
coaching changes
After her
unexpected fourth-round run at Wimbledon in 2021, Raducanu decided to part ways
with Nigel Sears and hired Andrew Richardson, with whom she won the US Open
just two months later. However, two weeks after her triumph at Flushing
Meadows, she dismissed Richardson and began working with the Spaniard Esteban
Carril.
After a few
weeks, she hired the experienced Torben Beltz for the 2022 season (who
previously coached Angelique Kerber to her first Grand Slam title). However,
their collaboration lasted only three months, and in April, she worked with
Iain Bates from the British Federation, shortly before hiring the Russian
Dmitry Tursunov (former coach of Sabalenka).
At the end
of the season, Sebastian Sachs arrived, who had previously worked with Victoria
Azarenka and Belinda Bencic, but they parted ways in mid-2023. Finally,
Raducanu hired her current coach, Nick Cavaday, with whom she hopes to find
stability throughout 2024.