Former Raducanu coach Tursunov says 'red flags' convinced him to end partnership

| by Tom Grant

Dmitry Tursunov has lifted the lid on the reasons behind his split from British number one Emma Raducanu - insisting there was red flags that convinced him he couldn't continue.

The outspoken Russian coach has returned to the spotlight recently after his much-publicised break-up from the Raducanu team and his subsequent partnership with Belinda Bencic.

After starting 2022 as Anett Kontaveit's coach it's been a busy time for the man credited with making Aryna Sabalenka a top ten player.

And now, speaking to tennis correspondent Carole Bouchard at the Tennis Majors website, Tursunov insisted he isn't the type of coach to move from one player to the other when a better opportunity arises.

He said: "I was walking away from Emma regardless of whether there was another [player] available or not.

"We didn’t agree on the terms and there were some red flags that just couldn’t be ignored.

"So that’s why it’s a little frustrating to read things like that… I wasn’t hopping from one player to another, I wouldn’t do that.”

Turunov explained to Bouchard that that he wanted to make things work with Raducanu, with their trial period ending after her early exit at the US Open.

And the Russian was full of praise for the 19-year-old, saying she is 'obsessed' with tennis and he enjoyed his time with her, but that she was more of a 'longer-term' project.

He added: "I really loved working with her, and I really wanted to make it work. It was a very difficult decision for me to walk away from a player that I like and respect.

"I felt it was going to be an interesting project, but a very long-term project, and as a coach, you want to have a belief that you’re going to be at work for that period. But of course, with her coaching situation, there’s now a thought going through every coach’s mind."

It was recently announced that Raducanu has teamed up with former Andy Murray fitness coach Jez Green, in the hope that he can rid the teen of the niggling injuries that have hampered her progress since her 2021 Grand Slam win.

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