Emma Raducanu is placing her hopes on a new coaching partnership to revitalize her career after a disappointing early exit at Indian Wells. Her recent loss to Moyuka Uchijima marks her sixth defeat in the last seven matches. This setback comes shortly after she enlisted Vladimir Platenik as her seventh coach in four years, following the departure of her childhood mentor, Nick Cavaday, due to health reasons after the Australian Open.
Raducanu has previously expressed that her detailed approach to the sport has posed challenges for her coaches.1 “I ask my coaches a lot of questions,” she stated in a 2023 BBC interview. “On certain occasions they haven’t been able to keep up with the questions I’ve asked and maybe that’s why it ended.” However, Platenik might be the exception, having almost joined her team shortly after her 2021 US Open victory.
Raducanu had a trial week with Platenik as a seventeen-year-old, and a potential agreement was near in 2021. Despite his interest, they did not finalize a contract. Platenik, however, understood why Raducanu’s performances faltered post-US Open and believes she is poised for a comeback. He offered an honest assessment of her career trajectory.
“The pressure is enormous and the players want to succeed so much that they switch [things around],” Platenik told Slovakian newspaper Dennik N. “That’s why they often get injured. Emma also approached me in a similar situation right after a great success [in late 2021], which is why I said it could be coaching suicide [to work with her]. But now she is in a completely different position. She’s already gone through hell, she’s already been through the worst. She had a great year last year and they did a good job with her last coach. He left at his own request due to health problems. Today she’s more mature than [at the time of] the previous offers.”
Platenik was also considered by Raducanu before she re-teamed with Cavaday. When the position reopened after the Australian Open, Platenik contacted Raducanu’s father. “I wrote to Ian to ask if they had anyone, as I knew their interest in me was more long-term,” Platenik admitted. “Her father wrote back that they didn’t have anyone and would like to try working with me.”
The Raducanu family favored Platenik, believing he could address key areas of her game. He joined Raducanu’s team the day before her loss at Indian Wells. Her attention to detail was evident as they spent ninety minutes analyzing her opponent. Despite the numerous coaching changes, Platenik believes no coaching team could have prevented her recent struggles.
“She won a grand slam from qualifying, [but] her experience was small,” Platenik explained. “It’s happened to many players after a grand slam title, look at [Sofia] Kenin or [Jelena] Ostapenko. Women’s tennis is balanced and she won at a very young age. Maybe she needed a better team or a more experienced coach. But the pressure was huge and maybe it would have ended the same with the best team.”
Platenik dismisses the idea that Raducanu lacks the motivation to replicate her US Open victory, stating, “She doesn’t look like she’s complacent at all. Moreover, she has her feet firmly on the ground… unlike many players who are 80 in the world and behave a thousand times worse. They are often arrogant. Emma talks to everyone and is smiling. I am very satisfied with her approach – in both human and professional terms.”
Platenik, whose contract extends until the French Open in May, is optimistic about the future. “Of course, I perceive that they change coaches often,” he said. “However, I want to help Emma, and if both parties recognize that I am successful, I believe that the relationship will last longer.”
