Ahead of her return to competitive tennis at Indian Wells, it has been confirmed that Emma Raducanu has turned to a former British No.1 for guidance on the Tour.
The world No.22 hasn’t played a match since becoming the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title at the US Open. Shortly after her triumph, Raducanu announced the ending of her collaboration with coach Andrew Richardson. In a statement she explained that she is looking to work with somebody who has more experience of working on the WTA Tour.
“Where I was at after Wimbledon, I was ranked around 200 in the world and, at the time, I thought Andrew would be a great coach to trial,” Raducanu explained.
“We went to the States but never did I even dream of winning the US Open and having the run I did; now I’m ranked 22 in the world, which is pretty crazy to me.
“I feel like at this stage in my career, and playing the top players in the world, I realised I really need someone right now that has had that WTA Tour experience at the high levels.
‘Especially right now, because I’m so new to it, I really need someone to guide me who’s already been through that.”
It is understood that the hunt for a new coach is still ongoing but to fill in the void Raducanu will be coached by Jeremy Bates in Indian Wells on what is a temporary basis. Bates, who is a two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, confirmed to The Daily Mail that an arrangement is in place. The 59-year-old has a wealth of experience in the sport and is currently working with Katie Boulter. Bates is also the Lawn Tennis Association’s national coach and in the past was captain of the British Davis Cup team.
There is currently no indication to suggest that Bates could become Raducanu’s new coach on a permanent basis. According to The Daily Mail, the agreement is that Bates works with the rising star alongside Boulter in Indian Wells. Raducanu has a bye in the first round in Indian wells and will not be playing her first match until later in the week.
Despite just making her debut in the main draw of a WTA Tour event earlier this year, the 18-year-old has a shot of qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals in Mexico. She is currently 15th in the race, but is just 500 points away from eighth place which is the last qualifying position. Furthermore, Ash Barty has already confirmed she will not be playing in the tournament and there are doubts over Naomi Osaka’s presence too.
So far this season Raducanu has earned $2,768,191 in prize money.
