Former British Player Praises Emma Raducanu’s New Coach Francisco Roig for his “Disciplined and Detailed” style

Emma Raducanu to face defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Cincinnati Open

Former British Player Praises Emma Raducanu’s New Coach Francisco Roig for his “Disciplined and Detailed” style

Francisco Roig and Emma Raducanu (via X/Raducanu News)

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Emma Raducanu began her partnership with Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach Francisco Roig ahead of the Cincinnati Open. They marked their official collaboration in the second round of the WTA 1000 as the British star defeated Olga Danilović in straight sets. Former British player Annabel Croft has now hailed the collaboration, stressing that Roig is a very technical coach.

Roig spent 18 years working as part of Nadal’s coaching team. He was Toni Nadal’s right-hand man during his tenure as Rafa’s coach and helped the Spaniard win all 22 Grand Slams, including fourteen Roland Garros. The Spanish then had a short spell working with former US Open champion Sloane Stephens, before working with Matteo Berrettini for ten months.

A few days before the Cincinnati Open, Raducanu announced that Roig will become her head coach after a successful post-Wimbledon trial. The collaboration comes just after Mark Petchey left the role as her coach. He had worked with her since the Miami Open in March and has transformed her game on the court.

But the British coach was also under contract with Tennis Channel as a tennis commentator and had other commitments. Their partnership was temporary as Raducanu had earlier parted ways with Vladimir Platenik after just two weeks working together. She had also split with Nick Cavaday at the beginning of the year but rehired him after a few weeks.

During a conversation on Sky Sports, Annabel Croft hailed Raducanu’s new coach, revealing that it is one of the best appointments that Raducanu has made. She added that Roig is a very technical and well-disciplined coach on tour:

I think he’s a very good appointment, one of the best appointments. Anyone who has had that much experience with Rafael Nadal, it’s incredible. I’ve always admired him, I always thought somebody like him might be perfect for her. So I’m excited about the fact that she’s chosen him. He’s very disciplined and detailed. I think if she likes technical advice, which I think she does, I remember watching him many times with Rafael Nadal discussing the swing path, he’s very technically minded.

Raducanu continued her good form at the Cincinnati Open, triumphing over Serbian star Danilović 6-3, 6-2 to reach the third round. The British star recently reached the semi-finals of the Washington Open, her best run this season. But after that, she lost to Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the Canadian Open in Montreal.

Emma Raducanu to face Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Cincinnati Open

Emma Raducanu is set to face Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Cincinnati Open, a rematch of the Wimbledon Championship. The latter kicked off her title defense with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Markéta Vondroušová in the second round. Sabalenka and Raducanu have faced each other only two times on the court, with the former winning both clashes.

Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka
Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Mirror Sport)

Their last meeting ended in favor of Sabalenka at Wimbledon, but it was a hard-fought victory for the World No.1. Ahead of their third-round clash in Cincinnati, Raducanu believes that Sabalenka is the favorite because she has a better record on the hard courts than when they met on grass at Wimbledon:

I’m reasonable enough, and I guess honest enough with myself, to know that different surfaces favour different people, and where my game is at in comparison. So, I think the grass gave me a bit of an advantage (against Sabalenka), but we’ll see how it goes. It’s hard to take a loss like that. At the same time, I’m playing Aryna, who is a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort.

Raducanu has been a better player since March, and that has seen her rise from World No.60 to No.39. Currently, she’s projected to climb five places in the WTA rankings following her opening match win in Cincinnati, but that isn’t enough for her to be a seeded player at the US Open. She will need to beat Sabalenka to break into the Top 32.