Emma Raducanu, the rising star of the tennis world, has expressed no urgency in appointing a new head coach, according to Laura Robson, who suggested that Raducanu’s choices for a full-time travelling mentor are quite scarce. The 2021 US Open champion has been sans a coach since the conclusion of January, following the resignation of Nick Cavaday post the Australian Open. Citing health concerns, Cavaday decided to prioritize his wellbeing over the gruelling nature of the international tennis calendar.
Cavaday, who has been a mentor to Raducanu since her formative years, began his coaching stint with her in the latter part of the 2023 season. This was after Raducanu had cycled through several coaches, including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs, since her breakthrough in 2021. Despite the frequent changes, Raducanu showed a noticeable improvement under Cavaday’s guidance.
The pressures of constant travel seemed to have impacted Cavaday’s health adversely, leading to his decision to step down. In his departure statement, he expressed his satisfaction at seeing Raducanu secure her position on the tour with a top 60 ranking and expressed anticipation for her future performance.
Post the Grand Slam season opener, Raducanu participated in the Singapore Tennis Open, accompanied only by her mother and fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamuru. Jane O’Donoghue, another of her childhood coaches, joined her for the Middle East circuit, but Raducanu has not yet revealed her long-term coaching plans.
Raducanu has always prioritized finding the “right fit” when it comes to coaching. Laura Robson, former British No 1 player, affirmed that Raducanu has shown no signs of deviating from this principle, even in the face of initial struggles without a head coach. Robson opined that Raducanu isn’t likely to hire a new coach hastily, emphasizing that it must be the right person and the decision must be a sensible one.
Following her third-round exit from the Australian Open, Raducanu suffered a string of four consecutive losses in Singapore, the Abu Dhabi Open, and Qatar Open. She managed to break this losing streak with a win against Maria Sakkari in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships, but was defeated by Karolina Muchova in the following match.
Raducanu is scheduled to compete in the Sunshine Double, with her current ranking enabling her to enter directly into both the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open. However, it seems likely that she will participate in the two WTA 1000 events sans a permanent head coach. As the tennis world watches with bated breath, only time will tell how this rising star navigates her path without a dedicated mentor.