Aryna Sabalenka Expresses the Possibility of Staying on Tour Without a Tennis Coach

Aryna Sabalenka reaches the third round of the Indian Wells after straight sets win over Himeno Sakatsume.

Aryna Sabalenka Expresses the Possibility of Staying on Tour Without a Tennis Coach

Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/HQ Pics)

In Short
  • Aryna Sabalenka supports Emma Raducanu's decision to take time before hiring a new coach.
  • Raducanu has struggled with coaching stability, having had over seven coaches since 2021.
  • Sabalenka expressed her preference for having a coach to plan practices and manage her training.

For weeks now, Emma Raducanu’s coaching situation has been the major talking point. The British star is without a temporary coach and has revealed that she wants to take her time before hiring one. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka has supported the move, agreeing that she, too, can do without a coach on tour.

Raducanu has had more than seven coaches in 2021. The former US Open champion is known for hiring and firing coaches after a short period.

Her most recent victim was Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach, Francisco Roig, who is known for his competence, having led the Spanish legend to 22 Grand Slams on tour. But after a shocking second-round defeat at the Australian Open, Raducanu decided to part ways with the Spaniard.

She competed at the Transylvania Open without a coach and struggled to win matches during the Middle East swing. However, at the Indian Wells Open, she’s with her temporary coach Mark Petchey.

The reunion kicked off with a bright start as Raducanu defeated Anastasia Zakharova in straight sets at the WTA 1000 tournament in the California desert. Sabalenka, who is the top seed, has worked with her main coach, Anton Dubrov, for over five years, starting in 2020. Dubrov began coaching Sabalenka when she was ranked outside the Top 10.

Today, Sabalenka is regarded as a dominant force in the women’s circuit. She has reached four of the last five Grand Slam finals. During her press conference in Indian Wells, the Belarusian star admitted that she can’t see herself playing without a coach, but there’s no need for Raducanu to rush and hire a new coach:

Right now, I can’t see myself without a coach. Although I am smart and would like to know everything, I don’t like going to training and doing everything on my own, it takes too much energy. I need the coach to plan the practice, to make me think and do things, so that I only have to worry about tennis. It would be difficult for me, I fought for a long time until finding the right coach, but maybe for Emma it’s a necessary break. There’s no rush, she can’t just hire anyone, that would only bring more problems.

Raducanu recently complained that she finds it hard to play her natural way under coaches guidance. She revealed in a recent interview that she aims to rediscover herself before hiring a permanent coach. However, some analysts have suggested that she look for a coach who suits her rather than one who has accolades.

Aryna Sabalenka very proud of her opening match performance in Indian Wells

Aryna Sabalenka launched her bid for an elusive first Indian Wells title with a dominant win over Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume in the second round. The World No.1 played her first tournament since finishing as a runner-up at the Australian Open after losing to Elena Rybakina in the championship match.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/HQ Pics)

Sabalenka wasted no time to dominate the court against the World No.136 Japanese star, winning 6-4, 5-2 in less than two hours. The 27-year-old, who recently got engaged to her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, wore the ring to court. She admitted after the win that she was super happy with her performance:

Super happy with the level I played. Super happy to get this win. I haven’t played for a while after Australian Open, and happy with the performance today. I’m really happy with the way I was serving, with the way I was putting her on the back foot.

Sabalenka will face Jaqueline Cristian in the third round of the Indian Wells Open. The top seed has reached the final of the tournament twice in her career, in 2023 and 2025. Nonetheless, she has struggled to get her hands on the title; she hopes to do so this year despite a projected clash against Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals.

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