Emma Raducanu lands Wimbledon coaching boost to end Andy Murray ‘dream team’ hopes


Emma Raducanu's new coaching team, including the return of experienced coach Andrew Petchey, aims to boost her performance at Wimbledon and other grass-court events.
AI Summary available — skim the key points instantly. Show AI Generated Summary
Show AI Generated Summary

This will be welcome news for Raducanu’s supporters. She clearly has the potential to go deep at Wimbledon and the other grass events, which this year will include a women’s tournament at Queen’s for the first time since 1973.

In three previous appearances at Wimbledon, she has reached the last 16 twice. Like most British players, she understands how to move on the surface, whereas many overseas players find the footing too slippery.

Raducanu has entered Strasbourg next week as a final build-up event before the French Open. The decision confirms that she is dealing far better with the physical challenges of the WTA Tour than in any previous season.

The appointment of an experienced fitness trainer – Yutaka Nakamura – in December, has delivered a swift impact, even if hindsight suggests that this basic step should have been taken several years ago.

And the return of Petchey, who previously helped Raducanu refine her game in the summer of 2020, has also worked out well to date.

Since he began helping her on an initially ad hoc basis in Miami two months ago, she has won eight matches from 11: a solid return which would, if continued, carry her well inside the seeded positions at the majors.

Petchey has helped Raducanu relax by using light-hearted warm-up exercises such as spikeball or football. He has also taken some of her focus off technique and concentrated on repetitive drills to build confidence in her shots.

Was this article displayed correctly? Not happy with what you see?

Tabs Reminder: Tabs piling up in your browser? Set a reminder for them, close them and get notified at the right time.

Try our Chrome extension today!


Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more

Facebook

Save articles to reading lists
and access them on any device


Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more

Facebook

Save articles to reading lists
and access them on any device