Emma Raducanu setting sights on ex-Andy Murray coach amid absence: Reports

Modified Apr 12, 2025 06:52 GMT

In Picture: Emma Raducanu [Image source: Getty]

British tennis player Emma Raducanu is said to be in talks with veteran coach and ex-pro Mark Petchey, who is known for helping Andy Murray when he first started. According to BBC News, the two are in negotiations regarding Petchey taking over as Raducanu's new coach before the clay swing.

Following an explosion onto the scene with her dramatic Grand Slam victory at the age of 18, the Brit has utilized a number of coaches in her pursuit of the ideal match. Most recently, she split with Nick Cavaday in January because of his health issues, and a brief experiment with Slovak coach Vladimir Platenik came to an end just before the 2025 Miami Open.

Petchey, a former World No. 80, once tutored a young Andy Murray for almost a year, with the Scotsman claiming his first ATP title. Interestingly, Petchey has also tutored Raducanu in the past—training with her during the pandemic-affected summer of 2020.

Recently, he was also seen courtside in Miami, sitting next to Raducanu's long-time mentor Jane O'Donoghue, as the 21-year-old produced a strong run to the quarterfinals. She defeated eighth seed Emma Navarro and ex-French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova there, before being beaten by eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula.

Although Raducanu has yet to announce her coaching intentions, the fact that she has opted to miss this week's Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers for Great Britain has done little to stem speculation that she is prioritizing organizing her team ahead of entering the European clay swing. At present, she has not entered this month's Madrid Open, but is set to play at the Italian Open in Rome—a key stop prior to Roland Garros getting underway in late May.

Serena Williams' ex-coach made bold claim about Emma Raducanu’s return to the top 10

In Picture: Emma Raducanu (Source: Getty)

Emma Raducanu has received strong support from Rick Macci, who once coached Serena Williams. Raducanu earned a career-best ranking of World No. 10 in 2022. Her run, though, was halted by a grueling 2023 blighted by injury and a dull start to 2024.

Earlier this year, Macci expressed his support for Raducanu on X (previously Twitter).

"There is a fine line between winning and losing. Key points and key moments. Emma can flip the script because she has won and delivered on the biggest stage. There is no doubt she can be top ten again but a new set of unique proven Eyes is mandatory and Wise," Macci wrote.

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At present, Emma Raducanu is ranked 47th in the WTA rankings with a 7-7 season win-loss record.

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Shashank, a tennis journalist at Sportskeeda, joined the company about a year and a half ago. Despite his background in software engineering, his passion for the sport drove him to switch gears and dive into full-time journalism before which he worked as a tech writer.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma