It was officially reported recently that Emma Raducanu is set to start working with Dimitry Tursunov, but two UK parliament members disapproved of her decision.
The United Kingdom's reaction to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine in February has been one of the strongest in the world. That approach already impacted tennis at this year's Wimbledon Championships.
The year's third Grand Slam banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at SW19. Pressure from the government and guidelines in place played a role in making that decision.
Raducanu, who has not had a full-time coach since ending her partnership with Torben Beltz in April, is trialing a collaboration with Tursunov before the Citi Open, beginning in a few days.
Tursunov has an impressive track record as a coach. He most recently worked with Anett Kontaveit, helping the Estonian win five titles and finish runner-up at the WTA Finals and Qatar Open.
However, some UK parliament members are more concerned about Turusnov's Russian heritage. Labour's Chris Byrant and Conservative MP Julian Knight spoke out against the move.
"The Kremlin will portray this as a PR coup and an indication that the UK doesn’t really care about the war in Ukraine, so it’ll be a real shame if Emma goes ahead with this. I urge her to think again and at the very least to condemn Putin’s barbaric war.”
“It does jar to see a Russian coaching Britain’s number one rising star. You would hope that the LTA would show some leadership on this and be able to advise Emma what is the best course of action.”
Some think it is harsh for members of parliament to single out Raducanu for merely hiring a coach since it is clear she is not doing it because she approves of the war. However, others argue that alternative coaches are available and that sending a strong message to the Russian government is more important.
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