“She needs the right quarterback that understands the mental game and bulletproof confidence.” Serena Williams’ childhood coach Rick Macci said on Emma Raducanu, in February, amid her coaching woes. The Brit was struggling with form after crashing out of the Happy Slam in the third round against Iga Swiatek. Soon after the exit, her former trainer Nick Cavaday left the team citing personal reasons. The 22-year-old then chose to have former Slovakian pro Vladimir Platenik as an interim coach. However, their collaboration ended within 14 days following a poor run in Indian Wells. Thankfully, the 2021 US Open winner has now found the right man. He is the ex-British pro Mark Petchey. But the journey prior to getting her correct mentor wasn’t easy. In fact, it was a nightmarish journey for her, listening to various voices.

After the US Open triumph nearly four years ago, Raducanu has tested multiple coaches. The number is seven, to be precise. They include Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson (her trainer during the historic US Open run in 2021), Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, Cavaday and recently Platenik. But guess what? She hardly achieved a significant milestone under them. Plus, she had to stay away from on-court action due to recurring injuries.

However, when Petchey joined her camp, before the Miami Open back in March, the fortunes changed instantly. For the first time in this season, she made it to the QF stage of an event. Overall, she showcased a remarkable consistency. But why is it that none of her previous coaching partnerships worked? Was there something disturbing that affected her as a player?

Seems like Raducanu dealt with a lot of unnecessary pressure from her previous trainers. Ahead of her French Open campaign, she interacted with BBC and opened up on the horrible experience with her ex-trainers.

Revealing shocking details, the World No.41 said, “I just kept pushing through because people were telling me I wasn’t tough enough, like I need to just work through it” According to her, she should have listened to her body, not her former coaches.

“Like it’s normal I’m feeling fatigued because I’m training so much, when in reality I knew there was pain, and I knew it kind of felt more than just soreness. “I wish I would have listened to myself sooner.”

Raducanu continued, “I would have saved myself maybe like eight months, 12 months of struggling, but I guess I can learn from that.” But as they say, all’s well that ends well. It becomes evident from her current situation. Lately, Mark Petchey’s presence has made a positive impact on her.

Emma Raducanu feeling “optimistic” under Mark Petchey

After her quarterfinal run in Miami, speculations emerged around Emma Raducanu‘s long-term plans with Andy Murray’s ex-coach. However, she refuted such claims and simply didn’t reveal “anything formal. It’s pretty informal for now, but is something that’s going really well.”

In an interaction with Sky Sports, earlier this month, she felt “more optimistic, I feel pretty positive about things going forward. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to stay consistent.” While she didn’t name Petchey, the Brit emphasized on the focused approach she was having since starting with the ex-ATP pro. “It is exciting, it does feel like a bit of a fresh start with the way I am approaching everything, with the people I have around, with my mindset and outlook.”

Raducanu also revealed how Petchey has made a transition away from technique-based training. “He’s not a super technical coach, there are certain tweaks, as always, but that is something I am going away from,” she said.

“I have been very technical in the past, there has been a time and a place for that because I needed to make improvements. But from now on, it’s more about doing the right things, taking the ball on more, and just repetition of certain drills and patterns, which he is very good at setting up.” Earlier this month, a new report revealed that she’s going to stick with Petchey for a longer duration, as reported by The Independent on May 14.

To keep things simpler going forward this season, she wants to get rid of the unwanted pressure. Instead, the Brit’s trying’s to be “more aggressive and play the way I want to more so, so it can help me on the other surfaces.” Raducanu’s next challenge is the Roland Garros. On Monday, she will kickstart her campaign against China’s Xinyu Wang. What are your thoughts on her prospects on the Parisian clay? Let us know in the comments below.