Former Wimbledon champion and Sky Sports analyst Marion Bartoli has urged Emma Raducanu to take a leaf out of Aryna Sabalenka’s coaching book by sticking with one coach for a sustained period.
Sabalenka completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ this spring, winning Indian Wells and then beating Coco Gauff to retain the Miami Open title. The 27-year-old has benefited from a stable team: coach Anton Dubrov (her coach since 2020), fitness coach Jason Stacy, hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski, fiancé Georgios Frangulis, and the addition of Max Mirnyi last August, who has helped add variety—particularly serve-and-volley—to her game. That continuity has coincided with Grand Slam success and a run to world No 1.
Raducanu split from Francisco Roig after her second-round defeat at the Australian Open. She had worked with Mark Petchey early in 2025 in a temporary arrangement and appointed Roig in August seeking a long-term coach. After six months and disappointing results, Roig—Rafael Nadal’s former coach—became the ninth person to leave Raducanu’s coaching team since her 2021 US Open victory. The pair reportedly got on well personally but did not align on style of play.
Raducanu reached her first final since New York 2021 at a tournament in Romania and, since parting with Roig, said she is comfortable working with hitting partner Alexis Canter, a 27-year-old British former player. She retained Canter and also worked with Petchey at Indian Wells. Raducanu is due to appear at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz (April 6-12), live on Sky Sports Tennis.
Speaking in Miami, Bartoli said: “For Emma to keep changing coaches is a difficult topic because you need to have some sort of stability. When you look at the coaching system, Sabalenka has had the same coach for such a long period of time and I think for Emma it’s about trying to find the right fit! I do strongly believe she will need to find someone she can trust for a long period of time if she wants to improve.”
Martina Navratilova also urged Raducanu to choose her next coach carefully—and give them time. “I mean, I don’t know what’s the record for a coach—maybe six months! So, I wish that she would really pick whoever she wants to be her coach carefully and then stick with it,” Navratilova said. “Give it a year because it takes a while to be comfortable with making changes and being able to incorporate the person into your game. The biggest thing I see I think she could get fitter which the coach has nothing to do with, but you know, the coach can only do so much. Pick the right coach and stick with him or her, please!”
Sky Sports analyst Tim Henman highlighted Raducanu’s need to improve physical resilience to compete with the game’s biggest hitters—players such as Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff. Reflecting on a match against Amanda Anisimova, Henman said Raducanu “needs more physical resilience so she doesn’t get the little injuries that put her away from the court. They stop her building the momentum on the match court. You can still do a lot of physical work on the court, whether it’s two on one when you’re hitting and moving and building up that physical resilience to get stronger, to get faster, to hit the ball harder, to serve bigger. If I could pinpoint one area, it would most definitely be fitness.”
Raducanu is currently ranked world No 28. Henman believes she can reach the top 20 and “knock on the door of the top 10” if she continues to add pieces to her game. “It does feel however far we get away from the US Open win, that spotlight will never dim. She’s a really good athlete, but when she stretched out, she cannot withstand the power that’s coming at her and give it back and that’s where the gym work comes in,” he added.
Emma Raducanu’s nine coaches since 2021
– Nigel Sears: Joined April 2021; oversaw breakthrough to Wimbledon fourth round.
– Andrew Richardson: Guided her through the US Open title as a qualifier; trial not extended.
– Torben Beltz: Lasted five months; split in April 2022 as Raducanu moved toward LTA support.
– Dmitry Tursunov: Trial in summer 2022; chose not to continue, citing red flags.
– Sebastian Sachs: Joined late 2022; partnership ended when Raducanu required surgeries.
– Nick Cavaday: 14-month stint—the longest professional partnership—helped her return to top 60; stepped down early 2025 for health reasons.
– Vlado Platenik: Hired on trial in March 2025; partnership lasted 14 days.
– Mark Petchey: Temporary role early 2025, provided tactical input through Wimbledon.
– Francisco Roig: Appointed August 2025; resigned after Australian Open exit in January 2026.
Raducanu remains a high-profile talent with clear potential, but commentators stress that a stable coaching relationship and improved physicality will be key if she is to fulfil that promise.