As part of an exclusive interview with BoyleSports, Emma Radacanu’s former coach Mark Petchey has hailed the young British tennis star.
Raducanu shot to fame when she won the 2021 US Open without dropping a set as a qualifier at 18 years old. Since then she has struggled with injuries and had to undergo surgery but Petchey is backing the now 21-year-old to win more major titles in the future.
He also reveals what it is like to coach Radacanu, how far she can go at Wimbledon next month and what it is that makes her so great.
What It’s Like To Coach Emma Raducanu
I totally adore her. We do not speak as much these days as back then.
It was a great time. She was 17 and mixing A-levels with tennis practice. It was during COVID at the National Tennis Centre. She never missed a practice, driving herself from Bromley and smashed it with her A-levels. She took on board everything we decided to work on.
We changed her racket, her serve and forehand techniques and she was open-minded and dedicated to everything we did.
I did three and four-hour practice sessions with her and she would be out there no problem at all. She worked her butt off. That is all I ever saw. Any criticism I see coming her way, I just dismiss because that is not the person I saw.
What Makes Emma Raducanu Great
At her level, it is mental strength. She has worked so hard to be one of the one percenters. Emma is at that top level.
What makes her great? Athleticism. She strikes the ball early and cleanly which takes time away from her opponents which makes it easier for her to play a game on her terms.
That is another reason she is so great. She understands her opponent’s weaknesses and she is a good enough tennis player to expose those weaknesses.
Can Emma Raducanu Reclaim Her US Open Glory?
She is way too good not to get back. There are a lot of great players in the women’s game. It won’t be easy for her. Does she want to do it? Yes, of course.
I am not going to say she is guaranteed to win another major but I’d be surprised if she didn’t.
What Does Emma Need to Do to Kick On?
Be herself. There are some amazing coaches out there who have had a fundamental impact on players’ careers. But for Emma, and indeed Andy, they have an unbelievable grasp of what needs to happen between the lines.
She just needs to make sure there are people around her who understand her whole backstory and just keep pushing forward.
I would be amazed if in 12 months if she stays fully fit, she is not back in the top 20.
Emma Raducanu's Approach to Wimbledon with Limited Game Time
She is at the mercy of the draw. She is very much like Andy. She doesn’t need a lot of matches, or to hit a lot of balls. She is somebody who is blessed and can come very quickly out of the blocks after things like injuries.
If the draw is favourable, she has a chance of going very deep at Wimbledon straight away.
*Emma Raducanu is 28/1 to win the Women’s Singles title at Wimbledon per the latest Wimbledon odds at BoyleSports.
Does Emma Raducanu Need Coaching Stability for Success?
What’s at the bottom of it all is to make sure you haven’t missed any information. Nobody can know it all. When I coach somebody, I do ask others’ opinions and ask if there is something I should be doing. I am in favour of it, but to a point.
Too much different information does complicate the issue. We all have ideas, styles and beliefs about how tennis should be played. There does come a point where it becomes very difficult to dissect this avalanche of information and data and actually put it together and make it make sense.
Emma needs a period of stability for a year. She is still so young in her career. I do think she will get back into the top 20, but even if she was still stuck at 100, it wouldn’t change my opinion of her.
That is, when it clicks she could go on a two or three major year.
Debunking the Myth of Emma Raducanu's Pushy Parent
It is a paradox that people always mention her father. I spent ten months working with her and her father came on the court twice. I changed her forehand, her serve and her racket. We went to a longer racket.
Her dad just let me get on with it. When people say he is overbearing, I never saw that. I saw a dad and mum who cared massively about their daughter. She is very ambitious.
She is a super driven person in many walks of life which I think bothers a lot of people. They just want to package her up into a tennis player. But she has got such a vast array of interests in life, that she doesn’t just go down the myopic dysfunctional avenue that so many sports people do. It is incredible to see what she embraces at such a young age.
As a parent that is the perfect blend so that when she is losing, she has other interests.
Criticisms and Opinions on Emma Raducanu Are ‘Embarrassing’
It is embarrassing. Many people are unhappy to see people succeed. They literally pull for you at the start, say how great it would be to have a top Brit and when she goes and excels and exceeds everyone’s expectations and then they turn on her and tell her she should be doing X, Y or Z.
No one in tennis history had done what she did. There is no blueprint where somebody outside the top 200 comes up qualifying for and then winning the US Open without losing a set. It was a fantasy that became reality.
She is a trailblazer. She is unique. So how can you tell somebody you should have done this or that. It has never happened.
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