It has been a disappointing start to the year for Emma Raducanu as she alludes to unhappiness with her current style of play
Emma Raducanu won’t be happy with the way that her 2026 campaign has kicked off. The British No. 1 crashed out of the Australian Open at the second-round stage at the hands of Anastasia Potapova, with her third-round showing from 2025 still representing her finest hour in Melbourne.
While the early elimination will undoubtedly sting, Raducanu’s post-match reflections about her game have added fuel to the fire regarding potential friction with her coaching set-up. The 2021 US Open champion appeared to take a subtle swipe at her coach Francisco Roig, hinting at a desire to alter her approach on court.
She said: “I want to be playing a different way. I just want to hit the ball to the corners and hard. I feel like I’m doing all this variety, and it’s not doing what I want it to do.
“I need to work on playing in a way more similar to how I was playing when I was younger. I always just changed direction, took the ball early and went for it.
“I think I do have the ability to do many things on the court, but I feel like [even] as I’m learning all those skills, I need to stick to my guns a bit as well.”
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu gets savage reality check after Australian Open exit as tennis icon hits outREAD MORE: Emma Raducanu had her Porsche ‘taken away’ before brutal shelf life warning
So what’s next for Raducanu? She might dust herself down following the Grand Slam disappointment and press on alongside Roig, whose trophy-laden stint with Rafael Nadal shows he knows a thing or two about moulding champions.
Raducanu could potentially reunite with former coach Mark Petchey, following their successful partnership in 2025. During Petchey’s four-month tenure, Raducanu reached the quarter-finals at both the Miami Open and Queen’s, and displayed a fiercely competitive spirit at Wimbledon.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page
Petchey maintains a friendly relationship with Raducanu as he told The Big T Podcast: “Emma and I never fell out. It just got to the point where I felt I couldn’t be the number one coach. I’m happy for her. We still chat, we’re still in good communication, she’ll still run some stuff past me. I’ll help her forever, I’ll take a bullet for her.”
Another potential mentor for the young star could be Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, who has previously defended Raducanu from critics. The former Wimbledon winner said: “If you’ve got an ex-British No 1 or an ex-world No 1 saying they don’t agree with how you hit your forehand or the strategy you use in matches, it can be a bit undermining.
“I know pundits have to do that, but it’s really not helpful for young players, in particular, who maybe are not able to block that out and trust their coaches. If any of the younger British players ever want to talk to me privately, I would always do that.”
The duo were meant to team up at Wimbledon in 2024 for the mixed doubles, but Raducanu withdrew to concentrate on her singles campaign. Whilst this sparked some friction, Murray insists they are “fine” after having a chat to sort things out.
The 38-year-old had a brief spell working with rival Novak Djokovic and confessed it was “extremely challenging,” though he dropped hints about potentially returning to coaching “at some stage” down the line.
Or should Raducanu ditch all external guidance and simply back her own judgment on court? Dan Kiernan certainly thinks so, as he encourages the British star to “learn what she needs” in her own way.
Kiernan, who coaches two-time US Open doubles champion Gaby Dabrowski, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “That would tell me that relationship probably doesn’t have too much longer to go. If I was to advise her what to do, I would say to go and do six months without a coach.
“I think she needs to go out there and learn what she needs. Go and play the game she wants to play, express herself how she wants to express herself, and make some mistakes herself without everyone over her.”
Whatever path Raducanu takes, she’s got a complete season of tennis stretching before her to forge a return to the top of the sport. That US Open victory feels like ancient history now, and the 23-year-old will be itching to silence the critics.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
