Emma Raducanu has added Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig to her long list of mentors, as the Spaniard joins the British No.1’s team this week. This news comes after Raducanu previously explained the reason behind her high turnover rate of mentors in tennis, claiming that her constant barrage of questions may be too much to handle for most.
Previously, questions had been asked of Raducanu’s long list of coaches, with the likes of Nigel Sears, Vladimir Platenik, Nick Cavaday, Sebastian Sachs and US Open partner Andrew Richardson all having worked with the tennis star in the past. However, speaking to BBC Radio 4 back in 2023, the Grand Slam winner admitted her “challenging” queries are likely a big reason why her mentors end up moving on.
At the time, Raducanu said: “I ask my coaches a lot of questions. On certain occasions they haven’t been able to keep up with the questions I’ve asked and maybe that’s why it ended.”
She added: “It’s something I’ve always done. I keep provoking and asking questions to coaches and challenging their thinking as well. I’m not someone that you can just tell me what do and I’ll do it, I need to understand why and then I’ll do it.”
The former US Open winner exited the Canadian Open last weekend, beaten in straight sets by American Amanda Anisimova. Now, she will take on the Cincinnati Open as her final preparation for the US Open at the end of August, with Roig by her side.
Mark Petchey had been working with Raducanu on an informal basis from March, but due to his media commitments during the US hardcourt season, the 22-year-old will rely on Nadal’s ex-mentor for the foreseeable. The pair engaged in talks during Wimbledon and will now aim to push Raducanu back up the rankings so she is seeded for the final Grand Slam of the season.
The British star has proven that finding a permanent coach is difficult, given she has been through seven serious coaching partnerships since winning the US Open in 2021. However, improvements had been seen with Petchey in recent months, especially after her intense battle with Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon.
Despite exiting the Grand Slam to the world No.1, her valiant effort proved that Raducanu had been working well with Petchey. However, the Englishman admitted in July that a full-time coaching role would be too difficult given his TV commitments.
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“I think at the moment we are a bit more short-term,” he said. “Our situation is a little fluid at the moment. I am going to help her this week as much as I can. I have some other commitments I can’t get out of.
“We are very aware she needs a second coach to come on board and maybe just one coach, not me, as well. All I am trying to do is facilitate the best possible environment for Emma to produce the tennis she can.
“Whether that involves me or does not involve me is not a question that I’m worried about. We are just trying to find something that will be stable or good for her.”
Raducanu will hope that Roig’s influence will be positive on her tennis game. The Spaniard certainly knows success from working with 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal throughout the majority of his career.
Previously, Roig told L’Equipe about his coaching methods with the tennis icon, explaining that playing through pain was one of his main ways to support Nadal on the court. He said: “There were many periods when he couldn’t work as hard as he would have liked because of physical problems. There were many periods when he couldn’t work as hard as he would have liked because of physical problems.
“The more time passed, the more demanding he became of himself in training. Quality eventually took precedence over volume, but it was rare to see him finish sessions satisfied.”