Emma Raducanu's persistence to 'challenge' could lead to coach troubles, Brit says - 'I ask a lot of questions'

Published 20/10/2023 at 10:33 GMT

Emma Raducanu has had five coaches in two years and believes she has put her finger on the reason why. Her persistence to “challenge” and ask “provoking questions” could have caused her high turnover of coaches, the 2021 US Open winner has revealed. “I'm not someone that you can just tell me what to do and I'll do it,” she said. “I need to understand why and then I'll do it."

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Emma Raducanu believes her persistence to “challenge” and ask “provoking questions” could be the reason she keeps splitting up with coaches.

After parting ways with a fifth coach in two years, the 20-year-old is yet to announce Sebastian Sachs’ successor, who departed the team in June.

The 2021 US Open winner doesn’t think her coaches can keep up with her.

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"I ask my coaches a lot of questions," she told the BBC. "On certain occasions, they haven't been able to keep up with the questions I've asked and maybe that's why it ended.

"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 to do and I'll do it, I need to understand why and then I'll do it."

Raducanu’s first coach, Nigel Sears, left when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2021, shortly before she stunned the world of sport to reign supreme at the US Open a few months later.

Andrew Richardson guided her to that feat and was replaced by Torben Beltz who lasted six months with the British star, before Dimitri Tursunov stepped in.

The Russian warned Raducanu of “red flags that just couldn’t be ignored” on potential problems of becoming distracted and "listening to too many voices", and ever since she has failed to hit the same heights of that famous campaign as an 18-year-old.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 22: Emma Raducanu of Great Britain looks frustrated during her match against Bianca Andreescu of Canada in the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium on March 22, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Frey/Getty Images

Image credit: Eurosport

Raducanu hasn’t played since April following successive surgeries on both wrists and an ankle, problems she had struggled with for long periods of time.

"I will be coming back with probably a lower ranking, but I'm actually looking forward to starting again, kind of resetting," she said.

"I still have new goals, new things I want to achieve. But I've still got like 15 years left in my career, so there's no rush."

On whether she could return for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be live on Eurosport and discovery+, she added: "Obviously, the Olympics is such a big thing in sport.

"I think I could play another four if I really wanted to, so this one isn't the immediate rush or pressure, it's just about getting back on court.

"I love the Slams but I do want to have the Olympic experience. I'll just see how it goes, if I even qualify and how it goes from there."

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