Emma Raducanu has described her relationship with clay courts as “complicated,” despite advancing to the third round of the Italian Open for the first time. The British No. 2, currently ranked No. 49 in the world, has had limited success on clay and had never won a match in Rome before this year.
“It’s complicated,” Raducanu told Tennis Channel when asked about adapting to the surface. “Some days I like it, I feel like I have good time on the ball. Some days I feel like my positioning and my feet are going to go under me. It’s love-hate sometimes but I’m working on it and it’s getting better.”
Her recent improvement has been supported by the return of coach Mark Petchey, who initially began helping her informally at the Miami Open. Though Petchey is balancing his coaching duties with work as a Tennis Channel commentator, Raducanu praised his insight and flexibility.
“I’m not biased but I love hearing him commentate,” she said with a laugh. “I think he’s a great commentator and someone I actually want to listen to. Sometimes I have to mute tennis commentary, but not with him. He’s very interesting.”
The duo reunited after previously working together in 2020, prior to Raducanu’s breakout Grand Slam win in 2021. They held a productive training block in Los Angeles following Miami, and the 21-year-old Brit credited Petchey with contributing both on and off the court.
“He’s helped me a lot with everything,” she said. “I’m really happy with how it’s going.”
Petchey was absent from her first-round win due to commentary commitments but returned to her box for her second-round victory over Jil Teichmann. Raducanu now faces former world No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova in the third round.
