Serena Williams' ex-coach defends Emma Raducanu against 'overreaction' to Abu Dhabi Open 1R exit

Emma Raducanu's campaign at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open has ended in a disappointing first-round exit. However, Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci, insisted that the Brit's loss shouldn't be used as a reason to question her talent.

Following her third-round exit at the Australian Open, Raducanu had a disappointing outing at the Singapore Open as she suffered a 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 loss to Cristina Bucsa in her opening match. The Brit's poor run of form continued at the Abu Dhabi Open, with Marketa Vondrousova claiming a dominant 6-3, 6-4 in their clash to advance to the second round of the WTA 500 event.

As criticism mounted over Emma Raducanu's disheartening results, Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci dismissed the negativity as an "overreaction." He emphasized that Raducanu had all the talent to break back into the top 10 of the rankings if only she appointed the right coach to provide her with the perspective shift she required.

"Everybody will call balls and strikes on how Emma does. Over reaction on steroids. When the person calling shots thinks out of the box with somebody who understands how to stimulate confidence change perspective and mindset the results and top ten is on the horizon. She has the talent. If not the sun will Set the same way and lose Sets. @EmmaRaducanu," Macci posted on X.

Macci has often highlighted the need for the Brit to make smart coaching decisions, previously pointing out that "she has had more coaches the past 4 years than titles." However, Emma Raducanu recently made another change to her team by parting ways with her coach, Nick Cavaday, following her Australian Open campaign, and she is still deliberating on his replacement.

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"I want to make sure it's a right fit" - Emma Raducanu on taking her time to choose a new coach

Emma Raducanu - Source: Getty

In an interview with The National before her Abu Dhabi Open campaign, Emma Raducanu expressed regret over having to end her partnership with Nick Cavaday due to his health concerns.

The 22-year-old also shared her intention to take her time before choosing his replacement to ensure that she found the right fit. Raducanu disclosed her desire to evaluate the qualities she valued in a coach before committing.

"It’s a decision that I want to take my time with. I think that's why I haven't necessarily jumped into something straight away, because I want to make sure it's a right fit," Raducanu said.

"So I think I'm using this time period to just figure out what I really value. I'm not too sure yet right now. I haven't come to any plans or decisions. So yeah, I'm just taking it, using the next couple weeks to see how I feel, and then make a decision," she added.

Emma Raducanu also shared encouraging news about her fitness, disclosing that she was delighted to not be carrying any niggles after her injury-plagued season last year.