Former Wimbledon champion and Sky Sports analyst Marion Bartoli has urged Emma Raducanu to take a leaf out of Aryna Sabalenka’s coaching manual by sticking with one coach for a long period of time.
Sabalenka has become the fifth woman in history to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’, beating Coco Gauff in the Miami Open final, two weeks after claiming the Indian Wells crown.
She has benefited immensely from having a stable team behind her, winning multiple Grand Slam titles and reaching world No 1.
Highlights of the Miami Open final between Sabalenka and Coco Gauff
The 27-year-old has been working alongside coach Anton Dubrov, a fellow Belarusian who has tasted success with her since 2020, fitness coach Jason Stacy, hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski, and fiance Georgios Frangulis.
The addition of Max Mirnyi, a former Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles champion, has imparted his wisdom by adding some variety to her game since last August, particularly with the serve and volley.
Raducanu parted company with Francisco Roig in the wake of her second-round defeat at the Australian Open.
She enjoyed a strong run of form while working with Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey early in 2025 in a temporary arrangement, but hired Roig in August as she sought a new permanent coach.
Following a six-month spell in which she endured disappointing results, Roig, who formerly coached Rafael Nadal, became the ninth coach to depart since Raducanu’s 2021 US Open win, with the pair gelling well on a personal level but not aligning on style of play.
Her next tournament in Romania saw her reach her first final since her victory in New York in 2021, and since the split from Roig, Raducanu insisted she is happy working with hitting partner Alexis Canter, a 27-year-old British former player who reached a career-high ranking of 779 last year.
Raducanu reflected on her loss to Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells
Raducanu retained Canter as part of her set-up, as well as working with Petchey at Indian Wells. She is next due to appear at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, which takes place from April 6-12, live on Sky Sports Tennis.
Speaking in Miami, Bartoli said: “For Emma to keep changing coaches is a difficult topic because you need to have some sort of stability.
“When you look at the coaching system, Sabalenka has had the same coach for such a long period of time and I think for Emma it’s about trying to find the right fit!”
Bartoli added: “I do strongly believe she will need to find someone she can trust for a long period of time if she wants to improve.”
Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, has called on Raducanu to pick her next coach carefully and most importantly – give them time.
“I mean, I don’t know what’s the record for a coach – maybe six months! So, I wish that she would really pick whoever she wants to be her coach carefully and then stick with it,” said the former world No 1.
“Give it a year because it takes a while to be comfortable with making changes and being able to incorporate the person into your game.
“The biggest thing I see I think she could get fitter which the coach has nothing to do with, but you know, the coach can only do so much.
“Pick the right coach and stick with him or her, please!”
I do strongly believe she will need to find someone she can trust for a long period of time if she wants to improve.
Henman: Raducanu needs more physical resilience
Sky Sports’ Tim Henman and Martina Navratilova debate if Raducanu needs to commit to a long-term coach and improve her off-court physicality to reach her full potential
Sky Sports analyst Henman thinks Raducanu should concentrate on working on her physicality to match the likes of fellow Grand Slam champions Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff.
The four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist said: “It was highlighted in a match against (Amanda) Anisimova.
“She’s never going to be as big a ball striker as Anisimova and the physicality that she brings to the court is obviously intimidating, as these top players are. But that’s where I think Raducanu needs to be physically stronger. She needs more physical resilience so she doesn’t get the little injuries that put her away from the court. They stop her building the momentum on the match court.
“You can still do a lot of physical work on the court, whether it’s two on one when you’re hitting and moving and building up that physical resilience to get stronger, to get faster, to hit the ball harder, to serve bigger. If I could pinpoint one area, it would most definitely be fitness.”
‘The spotlight will never dim’
Take a look back at Raducanu’s incredible win at the 2021 US Open. The tournament is live on Sky Sports Tennis this August
Raducanu is sitting at world No 28, but Henman believes the British star has the ability to break into the top 10.
“I think we all appreciate and understand and see how good she could be,” Henman said of Raducanu, who shocked the world by winning the US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier.
“If she can continue to add these pieces to the puzzle there’s no reason why she can’t get in the top 20 and then knock on the door of the top 10.
“It does feel however far we get away from the US Open win, that spotlight will never dim.
“She’s a really good athlete, but when she stretched out, she cannot withstand the power that’s coming at her and give it back and that’s where the gym work comes in.”
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