Emma Raducanu’s new coach believes Brit can now realise her potential after ‘going through hell’ – as he reveals he twice turned down a role in her team
Emma Raducanu’s new coach, Vladimir “Vlado” Platenik, believes that after enduring significant hardship, she is now primed to fulfill her potential.
Platenik, who joined Raducanu in Indian Wells and will work with her on a trial basis through the French Open, revealed that he had been offered the coaching position twice before, but was previously committed to other players. The first offer came shortly after Raducanu’s 2021 US Open victory, a job Platenik previously described as “coaching suicide.”
“A young player takes off with one great result then has a hard time,” Platenik told Slovak daily newspaper Dennik N. “Her surroundings and the public expect her to repeat those results. Maybe 30 percent of players fall out of the top 100 in a season after their first big result. Names like Hingis, Capriati, Bencic also struggled. The pressure is enormous. Emma approached me right after a great success, which is why I said it could be coaching suicide. But now she is in a completely different position.”
Raducanu has indeed experienced numerous challenges since her US Open triumph, including ankle and wrist surgeries, changes in coaching staff, and a recent stalking ordeal.1
“She’s already gone through hell, she’s already been through the worst,” said Platenik. “Today she’s more mature than with the previous offers – the time has come for me to try it.”
Platenik, until recently, was working with Lulu Sun, who defeated Raducanu at Wimbledon last year. Their partnership ended amicably.
“The Raducanu family had contacted me and asked if I could recommend a coach,” Platenik revealed. “I recommended a name that I’ll keep to myself. However, when Lulu was over, I wrote to Emma’s father, Ian, to ask if they had anyone, as I knew their interest in me was more long-term. Her father wrote back that they didn’t have anyone and would like to try working with me.”
This detail highlights Ian Raducanu’s continued involvement in his daughter’s career.
Platenik’s appointment marks a new chapter for Raducanu. Her recent loss to Moyuka Uchijima at Indian Wells was her fifth defeat in six matches since Nick Cavaday stepped down.
Despite the short time they have worked together, Platenik is optimistic. “I was surprised by the symbiosis we had,” he said. “She was very committed at the first training session, everything went in a good mood and she was satisfied with the two or three tips I gave her. I felt very good after that training session. I see Emma as a talented player who I want to help reach her maximum without thinking about what happened in the past. I have a good feeling about her, even though we only train for a short time. I like that she communicates well and asks me for my opinion. This is what I often miss in tennis players. Many expect me to dictate what they should do. However, I prefer to work with tennis players like Emma, who show interest themselves.”
Platenik appreciates Raducanu’s willingness to communicate and her demanding nature, which aligns with his coaching style. “I really like her because she approaches tennis differently than 95 percent of players I’ve coached. She wants to learn, she wants to communicate. We sat for an hour and a half watching a video of her next opponent and she kept asking me, “Vlado, what do you think about this?” 95 percent of players don’t have anything like this, I always had to encourage them to do it.”
Platenik has identified areas for improvement in Raducanu’s game, including her serve and forehand. “She moves very well. She needs to work on her serve and forehand. Not only technically but also tactically, so she can keep the pressure,” he stated. “She plays very well for her height, she is explosive in her movements. Sometimes she lets go of the pressure and makes the wrong decisions in terms of positioning when hitting and loses pressure unnecessarily.”
He also notes her positive attitude and grounded nature. “She doesn’t look like she’s complacent at all. She has her feet firmly on the ground – she didn’t fly away after the Grand Slam title. 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 – both humanly and professionally.”
