Emma Raducanu started the new year on a clean slate and appointed a new coach to help her rediscover her form and consistency.
Since she rose to prominence by winning the 2021 US Open, Raducanu has emerged as one of the most marketable women athletes. That historic success, in which she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam, landed her a longlist of lucrative sponsorship deals.
But Raducanu's success off the court was not parallel to her on-court achievements. Injuries have been the primary cause of her lack of game time. She played 47 matches in the past two years. In 2023, she ended her season prematurely in April and underwent three surgeries.
Although Raducanu's health has dictated the trajectory of her career so far, some fans and pundits believe her decision to change coaches frequently is also to blame. Patrick Mouratoglou recently opined that the 21-year-old lacks stability because of it.
She has had five different coaches in just two years, and there is a debate that some of her injuries are connected to working under different coaches. IMG agent Max Eisenbud explained his client's coaching carousel and why that has always been the case.
This season, Raducanu has added a familiar name to her inner circle: Nick Cavaday. This is their third month working together on the WTA tour, and the Briton explained the reasons behind the appointment of her former mentor in an interview on Sky Sports.
"I mean I’ve known him for a long time so it’s the familiarity aspect, it’s very nice. 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."
Raducanu and Cavaday's partnership became official at the Australian Open, but they rejoined hands at the National Tennis Centre in the UK last December when the former US Open winner was preparing to return to the tour from injury.
0 Comments