Emma Raducanu suffered her third consecutive defeat after Marketa Vondrousova handed her a 6-3, 6-4 loss in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open 2025. She reached the third round of the Australian Open for the first time this year but hasn’t been able to build upon that. Furthermore, Nick Cavaday, her coach of 14 months, had to step down from his position due to health reasons.
The young Brit became an overnight sensation with her title-winning run at the US Open 2021 as a qualifier. However, her career has witnessed plenty of turmoil since then. A string of injuries has sidelined her every few months, and surprisingly, it was only towards the end of last year that she hired Yutaka Nakamura as her full-time fitness trainer.
Raducanu will now aim to complete her coaching entourage by hiring another full-time coach. She’s currently working with Roman Kelecic, her childhood mentor, on a temporary basis. Her near constant rotation of coaches has always puzzled everyone.
After parting ways with Andrew Richardson, shortly after he led Raducanu to the US Open title, she has worked with the likes of Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs, among others. An obvious choice for Raducanu would be her fellow Brit and three-time Major champion Andy Murray, one of the most successful players of all time.
Following his retirement last year, Murray teamed up with his former rival Novak Djokovic as his coach. Their arrangement was limited to the Australian swing, and the duo will reconsider their partnership now that the season’s first Major is done and dusted. If they decide to terminate their contract, then the Brit could be free to take up another gig.
There are plenty of reasons for Raducanu to hire Murray. Aside from his numerous accomplishments on the court, he has also dealt with recurring physical issues, especially towards the end of his career. He can certainly empathize with his younger compatriot, and guide her on how to navigate her injury woes. However, there’s one big reason why he isn’t the right choice for her at the moment.
