Billie Jean King suggests Emma Raducanu get a ‘psychotherapist’ following her poor season, gives criteria to select her new coach


Billie Jean King suggests Emma Raducanu get a ‘psychotherapist’ following her poor season, gives criteria to select her new coach

Emma Raducanu and Billie Jean King

Former World No. 1 Billie Jean King has come out in support of Emma Raducanu following the Briton’s poor season in 2021. The teenager entered her first full season on the back of a historic run in Wimbledon and a record-breaking US Open win but couldn’t replicate it this year.

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With poor results coupled with consistent injury issues, Raducanu ends her first full season with more defeats than wins this season. Despite aiming to play the full season, Raducanu managed just 36 matches finishing with a 17-19 record and only 1 semi-final appearance this season.

Raducanu’s coaching troubles are not unknown and King presented some friendly advice for the teen. As Raducanu continues her hunt for a new coach, King suggested what should the US Open champ look for in future coach candidates.

“She needs to get away from people who have agendas, like ‘I wanna coach you, I wanna do this’ forget that. She needs to be herself and she’s very bright, actually very level-headed. I’m really impressed with her as a human being. Now I think that she needs to have space and time and talk to people she trusts.

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“I would hope she has a psychotherapist, I think they’re very helpful in hearing yourself. I’ve been going forever. It really helped my life. I hope she gets people she can trust, who have no agenda,” said King speaking with Reuters.

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Emma Raducanu had three coaches in the 2022 season

Dmitry Tursunov and Emma Raducanu
Dmitry Tursunov and Emma Raducanu

Raducanu started the season under the tutelage of Torben Beltz. Beltz’s best coaching stint came with Angelique Kerber leading the WTA star to two Grand Slam titles, an Olympics singles silver medal, and also to the World No. 1 rank. Despite his track record, Raducanu and he split after just five months.

Following Beltz’s dismissal, the LTA jumped to Raducanu’s help during the clay season with Iain Bates guiding the teenager. With a temporary arrangement by LTA going into the grass season, Raducanu brought on Dmitry Tursunov in a temporary role prior to the start of the US Open leg series.

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Tursunov however didn’t see off the season with Raducanu. The Russian coach however suggested that the parting with the teen was due to external factors. While he didn’t reveal more details but bluntly confirmed that it could be due to Raducanu’s father’s involvement in her coaching decisions, a frequently reported issue in the Briton’s camp.

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