Emma Raducanu Advised to Copy Roger Federer’s Coaching Move After Being Without a Coach

Emma Raducanu has not had a coach since splitting with Francisco Roig after the Australian Open.

Emma Raducanu Advised to Copy Roger Federer’s Coaching Move After Being Without a Coach

Roger Federer and Emma Raducanu (via X/Jose Morgado)

In Short
  • Emma Raducanu ended her partnership with coach Francisco Roig after just six months.
  • Greg Rusedski suggests Raducanu could benefit from a period without a coach, similar to Roger Federer in 2004.
  • Raducanu has struggled to find a consistent coach, having worked with eight different coaches since turning professional.

Former British No.1 Greg Rusedski believes Emma Raducanu could benefit from not having a coach at the moment, just as Roger Federer once did. Federer was without a coach for months in 2004, and he went on to shockingly win three of the four Grand Slam titles that season.

Raducanu ended her partnership with Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach, Francisco Roig, after the Australian Open. The pair worked together for just six months on tour, and it was Raducanu’s eighth coach in her professional career. In fact, since 2021, Raducanu has not worked with a coach for up to a year.

Before their split, she suffered a second-round exit at the Australian Open after losing to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova in straight sets. However, Roig, a renowned coach on tour, spent 17 years in Nadal’s team and was influential in helping the tennis legend win 22 Grand Slams on tour, including 14 French Open.

Nonetheless, Raducanu thrived at the Transylvania Open without a coach. The former US Open champion was assisted by LTA coach Alexis Canter during the WTA 250 tournament. There, she reached the final, where she lost to Sorana Cirstea in straight sets. It was her first WTA final since winning the US Open in 2021.

But she has not won a match on tour since the excellent run in Romania. Speaking during the last episode of his Off Court with Greg podcast, Greg Rusedski noted that in 2004, Federer spent some months without a coach, which gave him the space to understand his weaknesses before hiring a coach to help him with that:

Well, I remember Roger Federer going through a period by himself without a coach, and it was possibly the best thing for him. Because he kind of figured out certain things himself, took ownership of it. We saw her (Raducanu) in Romania get to the finals. Yes, she did not perform as well as she would like in the finals. She had Canter there, who was hitting with her the week before. And he’s a young guy who goes out with her and basically hits the balls, does the drills.

Raducanu has worked with Nick Cavaday, Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, Vlado Platenik, and Mark Petchey since turning professional. The British star has been criticized for not having a consistent coach, unlike other top players on the circuit, who stick with a coach for years.

Greg Rusedski says Emma Raducanu needs to find a hitting partner while waiting for a coach

Emma Raducanu’s run at the Transylvania Open was not treated with much confidence as she was the top seed in the draw. She faced players ranked outside the Top 50 at the tournament and struggled in the final. She will face tougher opponents in big tournaments like the ongoing Dubai Tennis Championships, where she crashed out in the first round after losing to Antonia Ružić in three sets.

Emma Raducanu Australian Open 2026
Emma Raducanu (image via Australian Open)

During the aforementioned conversation, Greg Rusedski pointed out that even though she supports Raducanu’s strategy of having a coach currently, she must get someone who is on the same page with her and will help her improve on the court in each tournament this season:

That’s where she’s got to have that mindset with a coach where they agree on how she has to play, what her techniques need to be on the court, and have that clarity. So a little bit of time away without a coach right now, maybe with someone who is just travelling with her, hitting with her, might be a real positive until she finds somebody who she is on the same page with week in and week out, because she hasn’t found that person yet. Hopefully she does.

Raducanu is expected to be back on the court at the 2026 Indian Wells Open, which starts on March 4. The former World No.10 will compete against Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula at the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament.

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