Emma
Raducanu spoke about the series of coaching changes she had after winning the
2021 US Open and received support from her former coach Todd Schoullar.
The young
tennis sensation captivated the tennis world with her miraculous run at
Flushing Meadows, where, at the age of just 18, she became the champion. She
made history as the first player to win the US Open coming from the qualifiers
and without dropping a set in any of her 10 matches.
Heralded as
the new shining star of tennis, Raducanu struggled to find her footing again,
and coupled with injuries, she failed to replicate her initial success.
Furthermore, the British player has worked with five coaches since then and
recently ended her seven-month partnership with Sebastian Sachs.
During a
recent interview on BB Radio 4, Raducanu was asked about the challenges she's
faced in maintaining a long-term coaching relationship.
"I ask
my coaches a lot of questions. On certain occasions they haven't been able to
keep up with the questions I've asked and maybe that's why it ended. It's
something I've always done.
"I
keep provoking and asking questions to coaches and challenging their thinking
as well. I'm not someone that you can just tell me what do and I'll do it, I
need to understand why and then I'll do it."
Scoullar
used social media to comment on Raducanu's decisions regarding her coaches and
expressed his support. He emphasized that it's crucial for her to feel
comfortable with the person she works with.
"Interesting
to see the comments around this. #Raducanu is paying her coach. If she wants to
ask questions around her training/tactics, etc, she has every right. A quality
coach should be able to explain their reasons around coaching philosophies and
techniques."
Emma
Raducanu has had five different permanent coaches throughout her career so far.
She partnered with Nigel Sears for only two months in 2021 before concluding a
three-month collaboration with Andrew Richardson that same year.
Torben
Beltz became Raducanu's coach in November 2021. However, he was later replaced
by Dmitry Tursunov, who worked with the Briton for three months.