Raducanu's coach admits she may replace him in ninth change since US Open win
Emma Raducanu's coach Mark Petchey has admitted the British No. 1 is likely to replace him in the near future, despite enjoying some success since they started working together earlier this year.
Petchey linked up with Raducanu back in March after her previous coach, Vlado Platenik, left after a two-week trial period. Raducanu reached the third round at this year's Wimbledon, defeating 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova before narrowly losing to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
She also regained the position of British No. 1 for the first time in two years last month, overtaking Katie Boulter. However, Petchey has now revealed that he is unlikely to remain Raducanu's coach for much longer as his punditry commitments for The Tennis Channel means he cannot take the role on a full-time basis.
"I think, at the moment, we are a bit more short term," Petchey told the Nothing Ventured Podcast. "She's practising this week in London and her next tournament is in Washington, and she'll stay in the States the whole time.
"Our situation is a little fluid at the moment. I am going to help her this week as much as I can. I have some other commitments I can't get out of. We are very aware she needs a second coach to come on board and maybe just one coach, not me, as well.
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"All I am trying to do is facilitate the best possible environment for Emma to produce the tennis she can. Whether that involves me or does not involve me is not a question that I'm worried about. We are just trying to find something that will be stable or good for her."
If Raducanu does decide to replace Petchey with a new coach, it would be her ninth since her incredible US Open win back in 2021. A clash of schedules during the Canadian Open mean Raducanu is set to be without a coach for at least a week while Petchey is working as a pundit.
According to the Telegraph, Petchey has been discussing Raducanu's situation with a number of coaches during Wimbledon, including Darren Cahill who currently coaches Jannik Sinner and has previously worked with Sir Andy Murray.
Despite the uncertainty, Petchey remains confident that Raducanu has a big future after her performance against Sabalenka. "It was a great tennis match. It's been pretty positive from a point of view you can reflect on the fact the match was great, and get feedback from people talking about it," he added.
"I've sought out opinions from people I respect in the industry, coaches, asking them what they felt about the match and what she could have done better and that gives you a chance to formulate a plan going forward for this week and in the future."
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