Laura Robson on Emma Raducanu’s Coaching Situation: “Options Are Limited”
Laura Robson believes Emma Raducanu has few options when it comes to securing a high-profile coach and suggests the 22-year-old won’t rush into adding a new member to her team until she finds the right fit.
After working with a coach for an entire season for the first time in her career, the 2021 US Open champion parted ways with Nick Cavaday, who stepped down to focus on personal health concerns. Since then, Raducanu has been receiving guidance from junior coaches Jane O’Donoghue and Roman Kelecic.
While Raducanu stated she’s using this period to assess her next steps, her results have dipped since splitting with Cavaday, winning just one of her four matches since the change. However, she showed signs of improvement at her last tournament in Dubai, defeating Maria Sakkari before falling in a closely contested match against Karolina Muchova.
Robson: Raducanu Won’t Rush a Coaching Decision
“Emma has been in the Middle East, working to build on the form she showed in Australia. She’s competing well and making sure she’s focusing on the right aspects of her game,” Robson wrote in a Sky Sports column.
“I don’t think she’s in any rush to hire someone just for the sake of it. It needs to make sense for her, and she has to be fully confident in the decision.
“There aren’t many top-tier coaches available who can commit to full-time travel, so her options are quite limited. You wouldn’t want to enter a new coaching relationship without full confidence in the partnership.”
Is Goran Ivanisevic an Option?
One of the most prominent coaching names currently available is Goran Ivanisevic. After years of coaching top male players—including Novak Djokovic—he recently made his first WTA coaching move by joining Elena Rybakina’s team. However, the partnership quickly fell apart, leaving his future in women’s tennis uncertain.
If another WTA player approaches him, it remains to be seen whether Ivanisevic would be open to another coaching opportunity—or if Raducanu would even consider him.
