Emma Raducanu Faces New Challenges Amid Coaching Change
The road back to form has been anything but smooth for Emma Raducanu. Since her historic 2021 US Open victory, the British tennis star has faced multiple setbacks, including injuries and frequent coaching changes. After an injury-plagued 2024 season, her return to Grand Slam action in 2025 ended in disappointment when she was eliminated in the third round of the Australian Open by world No.1 Iga Świątek in a lopsided 6-0, 6-1 defeat.
Just days after the loss, Raducanu faced another challenge—her coach, Nick Cavaday, announced his departure due to health reasons. Having worked with Cavaday both early in her career and again during the 2024 season, Raducanu acknowledged the difficulty of the situation during a press conference ahead of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Emotional Response to Coaching Split
“It’s difficult. Nick is a great person,” Raducanu stated. “He’s someone I’ve known since I was a young girl, and he coached me before, so I think we were working really well together. Unfortunately, he had to prioritize his health, which I completely understand, and I support him, and I just wish him the speediest of recoveries.”
Cavaday played a significant role in Raducanu’s recent resurgence, helping her rise from outside the top 300 to inside the top 60 in just nine months. However, his departure marks her sixth coaching change since her US Open triumph. Prior to Cavaday, she had brief stints with Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Dmitry Tursunov, Torben Beltz, and Sebastian Sachs. Despite this turnover, Raducanu is not rushing to hire a replacement.
“It’s a decision that I want to take my time with,” she explained. “I think that’s why I haven’t necessarily jumped into something straight away because I want to make sure it’s the right fit.”
Preparing for the Abu Dhabi Open
Raducanu is now shifting her focus to the Abu Dhabi Open, where she was originally scheduled to play in the qualifiers but received a last-minute entry into the main draw. Her first-round opponent will be 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová. When asked about the matchup, Raducanu admitted she was unaware of the draw at the time.
“I’ve just been face down on the massage table. I’ll figure it out later, I’m half asleep,” she joked.
Her immediate future on tour remains uncertain. She has yet to confirm if she will continue playing in the Middle East swing, which includes major WTA tournaments in Doha and Dubai.
“I have no idea. I’m going to take it week by week. See how I am, see how the body is, and see what kind of plan we put in place, I guess,” she said. “But I’m not thinking too far ahead, just trying to take it day by day in the current situations.”
A Tough Road Ahead
Raducanu enters Abu Dhabi without a coach and with a difficult draw, featuring top players such as World No. 5 Elena Rybakina, Australian Open semifinalist Paula Badosa, and British No. 1 Katie Boulter.
She recently played the Singapore Open without a coach, where she was the seventh seed and faced World No. 101 Cristina Bucsa in the opening round. Despite being the favorite on paper, she lost in a tightly contested three-set battle, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.
With a tough field in Abu Dhabi and no coach in her corner, Raducanu faces an uphill battle. Whether she can navigate these challenges and regain her top form remains to be seen.