Emma Raducanu is set to work with a new coach for the WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells. The British star has been without a full-time coach since parting ways with Nick Cavaday earlier this year, relying instead on members of her junior team and LTA staff as temporary mentors.
Now, the world No. 55 will team up with Slovakian coach Vlado Platenik on a trial basis for the fortnight in California. Platenik has previously worked with several WTA players, including Lulu Sun, whom he coached when the Kiwi defeated Raducanu at Wimbledon last summer.
Raducanu continues her search for a permanent coach following the end of her 14-month partnership with Cavaday, one of her childhood mentors. Cavaday stepped away from coaching to focus on his recovery from a health condition.
The 22-year-old has taken a patient approach to finding the right long-term fit, using ad-hoc coaches in recent tournaments. However, her decision to work with Platenik on a trial basis suggests she is considering a more stable partnership.
Platenik has an impressive coaching resume, having worked with top players like Daria Kasatkina, Dominika Cibulkova, and Veronika Kudermetova. He also coached Sun throughout the 2024 season, including during her remarkable run at Wimbledon. Ranked No. 123 at the time, Sun came through qualifying and reached the quarter-finals, knocking out Raducanu in the round-of-16.
Meanwhile, interim coach Tom Welsh is also set to travel to Indian Wells alongside Raducanu and her fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura. Welsh has already been spotted working with Raducanu on the practice courts. He has previously coached one of Raducanu’s rivals, Leylah Fernandez—the player she famously defeated in the 2021 US Open final to become the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title.
Raducanu will open her Indian Wells campaign against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima on Thursday, with No. 3 seed Coco Gauff awaiting the winner in the second round. She has fond memories of the tournament, having reached the third round last year before falling to Aryna Sabalenka. In 2023, she enjoyed an even deeper run, making it to the last 16 after defeating two top-20 seeds.
The Indian Wells tournament also marks Raducanu’s first appearance since a distressing stalker incident in Dubai. A man who had displayed “fixated behavior” during an encounter with her later appeared at her second-round match the following day. The 22-year-old was visibly shaken, and the individual was swiftly removed and banned from future WTA events. He later signed a restraining order, leading Raducanu to drop the charges.
Reflecting on the ordeal upon her arrival in California, Raducanu admitted: “I was obviously very distraught. I saw him in the first game of the match and thought, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish.’ I was playing Karolina [Muchova], who’s top 17 in the world or something, and I couldn’t see the ball. I literally needed to take a breather. The first four games ran away from me—I wasn’t really on the court, to be honest. I’m not even sure how I regrouped.”
Now back in action, Raducanu is focused on making her mark in Indian Wells, with a new coach by her side and another opportunity to gain momentum in her 2024 season.
