Emma Raducanu has been given a ringing endorsement by her former coach, Mark Petchey, who believes she will win multiple Grand Slams.
Regardless of what happens throughout the rest of Raducanu's career, she will always be remembered for one of the most incredible Grand Slam runs ever at the 2021 US Open, winning the title as an 18-year-old qualifier.
That was one of the most unexpected Grand Slam triumphs in tennis history. Many knew that Raducanu possessed talent, but one predicted that she would win the title before the 2021 event at Flushing Meadows began.
Petchey had a 10-month spell with Raducanu in the early stages of her career. Andrew Richardson became her coach at the start of the 2021 North American hardcourt swing, helping the Briton achieve that incredible US Open success.
That meant tennis fans were shocked when Raducanu chose to split with Richardson a few weeks later. The 22-year-old explained at the time that she wanted to hire a coach with more experience of the WTA Tour.
Raducanu appointed Torben Beltz, who helped Angelique Kerber win the Australian and US Open in 2016. However, that partnership only lasted a few months before Dimitry Tursunov was hired as a replacement after the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
Tursunov, who helped Anett Kontaveit reach No. 2 in the world, left in October because he saw what he considered to be red flags in Raducanu's actions that he thought would disrupt their ability to be successful together.
Sebastian Sachs was her next coach, but he left shortly after Raducanu sustained severe wrist and ankle injuries that led to her missing the final nine months of 2023. She has worked with her childhood coach, Nick Cavaday, since the start of 2024.
Despite those repeated coaching changes, Raducanu insists she did not set out to regularly fire coaches. The young star might hope to build a long-term relationship with Cavaday.
Although Raducanu elected to split with him, Petchey holds Raducanu in high regard. Andy Murray's former coach called her one of the best players he has worked with and roots for her to succeed.
In recent comments to Betway, Petchey backed Raducanu to win multiple Grand Slams but thinks reaching the quarterfinal of the 2025 Australian Open might be a realistic goal for now. He also encouraged Raducanu to follow her own path.
"I’ll never limit her potential. I genuinely believe she'll win multiple majors before the end of her career. I think it's a stretch to say that she could win the Australian Open, but I also don't think it’s beyond the realms of possibility."
"All I know is that if she's been healthy and she's got enough matches under her belt heading into Australia and she gets a favourable draw she’ll have an opportunity to challenge for the title. Obviously, a more realistic goal right now would be reaching the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park."
"I'm a big believer that you should follow your own path. There certainly wasn't a blueprint for Emma to win the US Open, which she did. And I don't think she should be following anyone's path. Whatever path she's trodden in the last couple of years is something that she owns. The knowledge from that sort of journey that she's been on, she needs to implement without looking at anyone else."
"You can be inspired by other people, but when you're as good as Emma and from the lessons she has learned, she knows that puts her in the best place to play the best tennis. Tennis is an individual sport for a reason. You need to be very selfish in your outlook to do the things that are right for you rather than look at other people."
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