Will Dmitry Tursunov revive Emma Raducanu's form ahead of Citi Open, and US Open title defence?

Emma Raducanu returns to the court this week with a new coach in her corner.

The British No. 1 started working with Russian Dmitry Tursunov ahead of the Citi Open in Washington DC. For now it is just a trial period together and Raducanu has said Tursunov already has pre-existing commitments for the Canadian Open next week. However, it has been reported the partnership may continue throughout the North American hard swing, which culminates at the US Open, where Raducanu will be defending champion after her shock victory a year ago.

Tursunov is an intriguing choice to turn to for Raducanu, who has been without a full-time coach since ending her short spell with Torben Beltz earlier this year. Former world No. 20 Tursunov recently split with Anett Kontaveit apparently because visas were sometimes complicated due to his Russian nationality. He has also said in the past he would “tremble with fear” if asked to coach Raducanu, and has liked a tweet saying Raducanu’s parents are “mismanaging” her.

There was one particular quote that stood out from an insightful interview with Tennis Majors earlier this year about his coaching methods. “My philosophy is that there’s no point in lying to the player. If the player is not good at something, then you have to be honest. That’s not because you’re trying to insult them: you’re trying to help them improve. So there’s no point in dancing around the issue.

“And that’s kind of the problem with a lot of players is they’re just not willing to hear the truth: they want to hear that the problem is maybe with the racquet or with the grips, or maybe with their mum or their dad and it takes a certain maturity and self-awareness to admit to yourself that there’s a problem. So that’s the first step: being honest with the player and telling them, ‘If you hire me as a coach, then you’re asking for my opinion’. So if I’m giving my opinion, it’s then the decision of the player to use it or not. I don’t care, I’m getting paid one way or the other!”

While it may sound very direct, and perhaps not suitable for every player, Tursunov’s philosophy appears to have worked so far. He had success with Aryna Sabalenka, helping her break into the top 10 during a sometimes on-and-off and seemingly fractious relationship, and helped Kontaveit launch herself into a stunning finish to the 2022 season, winning 29 of her last 34 matches, lifting four titles and qualifying for the WTA Finals.

Kontaveit, who is now working with Raducanu’s former coach Beltz, said Tursunov helped her to play in a more “positive way”. “I just think I'm playing in a more positive and more secure way, not doing too much but being aggressive. I think I'm moving great. I'm looking at things in a more positive way, which I think translates in my game.”

Upping the “aggression” seems to have been a focus for Tursunov with Kontaveit. “I wanted to bring that aggressive Anett on court more,” said the Russian last October. “And just work on the things that can give her the confidence to be aggressive.” With Sabalenka, who a few years ago was perhaps overly aggressive, it was more about honing her power and skills. “The major thing is she stopped trying [to] hit a winner with every shot,” said Tursunov at the 2018 US Open.

Where does Raducanu fall in that spectrum? She won the US Open last year by largely playing on the front foot and taking shots on. She was very strong from the baseline with her groundstrokes and was able to generate plenty of power on shots. This year the aggression seems to have been dialled down a little, or at least the effectiveness of it, but Raducanu has also been battling a number of injury niggles which might have held her back. Clearly as well as tactics and technique, fitness will be a big talking point with Tursunov.

Even though he seems forthright in interviews, Tursunov has been keen to downplay his impact with Sabalenka and Kontaveit. He credited Sabalenka for being “very receptive” and “willing to try things that many other players would not try due to their convictions about the way the game should be played”. Similarly with Kontaveit he said she was “ready to receive information” and “wanted to try something different, something new”.

Raducanu has spoken in the past about taking advice and information from different sources and putting it all together for her benefit. She has also said she isn’t worried about not having a full-time coach for now. So is Tursunov just another short-term addition to gain some more pointers from? If so he doesn’t appear to be the worst choice given his record and how he helped elevate Kontaveit’s game.

However, John McEnroe thinks Raducanu may still need “stability” to further her career.

“No one wins a major if they are not a great player and hopefully she has belief, but a lot has changed for her since then,” the seven-time Grand Slam champion told Tennis365 in July.

“It has been hard to watch her struggling, but I don’t know if she needs time. She needs the right stability and people around her and I don’t know what’s going on there. You don’t go through a tournament where you don’t lose a single set and beat some of the top female players and not be a great player.”

Raducanu will face a qualifier Louisa Chirico in the first round of the Citi Open after Wimbledon quarter-finalist Marie Bouzkova withdrew following her win at the Prague Open. She will also team up with fellow teenager Clara Tauson to play doubles for the first time on the WTA Tour.

It will be fascinating to see how the partnership with Tursunov develops and whether, back on hard courts and after a break, Raducanu can find her 2021 US Open form again.

If the last 12 months are anything to go by then Raducanu and Tursunov may not be together for a long time. He is Raducanu’s fourth coach since her Wimbledon breakthrough and is more than aware of the risk that comes with the role, saying last November: “If someone from her team called me now and asked if I wanted to train her, I would tremble with fear because you don’t know when you will be fired.” If it is a short spell, can Tursunov have a positive impact as he has done with Sabalenka and Kontaveit?