Emma Raducanu recently hired Dmitry Tursunov as her new coach, and the Briton's first impressions of him are positive.
Despite members of the UK parliament objecting to the move due to his Russian nationality, Raducanu appointed Tursunov as her coach to try and revitalize her fortunes after a challenging 2022 season so far.
Tursunov most recently worked with Anett Kontaveit. The pair enjoyed a successful time together, with Kontaveit reaching No. 2 in the world. Her decision to split with Tursunov after the French Open stunned tennis fans.
Raducanu hopes Kontaveit's decision will benefit her. The 2021 US Open champion's first tournament with Turusnov is the ongoing Citi Open, and the early signs have been mostly positive.
She reached the Citi Open quarterfinals without dropping a set after triumphs against Louisa Chirico and Camila Osorio. The victory against Osorio was a tight battle that Raducanu won in two tiebreaks.
After defeating Osorio, the 19-year-old praised Tursunov's personality. She said he always stays relaxed and has a great sense of humor, even during tight moments.
"He's a really relaxed guy and personality. I think that he is great to have around. When you are 5-All in the breaker, he's still chill, probably making some really bad joke. He's got a good sense of humor. He's good to have around in the team."
Although their partnership is still in its early stages, Raducanu mentioned that Tursunov is trying to teach her to be less hard on herself and that winning is possible without being perfect, as she did against Osorio.
"He's teaching me how to be easier on myself, not trying to chase this perfection [e.g.] you can win and not be perfect."
Raducanu faces Liudmila Samsonova in today's quarterfinal. That is a challenging matchup, and the Briton might need her coach's wisdom more to overcome her big-serving opponent.
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