British No 1 has good ‘first impressions’ of her new coach before their opening assignment at the Cincinnati Open
Emma Raducanu believes her new coaching partnership with Francisco Roig can help to take her game to the next level as she tries to continue her recent rise up the rankings.
“First impressions are it’s going really well,” Raducanu said, speaking for the first time on the move in an interview with the Guardian. “We did a few days after Wimbledon together and I was really happy with how it went. I’m just so excited to have him on board, so much experience. I’m really looking forward to continuing.”
By hiring Roig, Raducanu has added a wealth of experience to her team. A former player with a career-high singles ranking of No 60 in 1992, Roig came to prominence as a longtime member of Rafael Nadal’s coaching team, working alongside Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and coach, as the Spaniard built one of the great careers. Roig decided to end his 18-year partnership with Nadal in 2022 and he later briefly coached the injury-prone Italian Matteo Berrettini.
Although Raducanu’s numerous coaching changes have been a big narrative in her career, this appointment comes at a different point in her development. Raducanu has put together a consistent run of quality tennis over the past few months; she is clearly playing with confidence on the court and appears to be in a more positive place away from the court. Raducanu had been working on an ad hoc basis with Mark Petchey since March but Petchey, who is also a broadcaster, could not commit to working with her on a day-to-day basis. The pair remain in close contact.
