"If any experienced coaches are out there looking, you know where to find me" - Emma Raducanu after Indian Wells exit
After losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round of the 2021 BNP Paribas Open, Emma Raducanu has come forward with a public appeal for a new "experienced" coach.
The 18-year-old parted ways with former coach Andrew Richardson following her improbable US Open victory last month. Raducanu said the reason behind the move was to get someone with more tour-level experience on board to help take her game to the next level.
Raducanu traveled without a full-time coach to Indian Wells, but was assisted by Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) coach Jeremy Bates. Both parties had made it clear, however, that it was a temporary arrangement.
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Speaking about her coaching situation in a media interaction following second-round exit at the BNP Paribas Open, Raducanu said her team was trying to "find a solution" to her current predicament.
The Brit reasserted the need to be with a coach with "great experience," before adding that if someone with the right qualities was looking to join her team, she would be happy to establish communication.
"I think that I would love to have someone with great experience right now by my side so if any experienced coaches are out there looking, you know where to find me," Raducanu told the media.
"So I don't know what's going on, I don't know what's going to happen next but I'm sure my team and and everyone will try and find a solution, she continued. "I wasn't joking. If anyone knows any experienced coaches."
"My priority is longevity and I'm at the very start" - Emma Raducanu
During the interaction, Raducanu also briefly spoke about her early exit at the BNP Paribas Open and the experience of playing without a coach. The Brit said the absence of a coach did not affect her too much, as she is not a player who looks up to her box very often during matches.
Raducanu instead attributed her defeat to a lack of experience. The Brit went on to add that her priority is to have a long and successful career and that, at the moment, she is at the "very start" of her journey.
"I don't think it affected me because I didn't really look up at the box too often," Raducanu said.
"I think that what happened tonight was just down to experience," she added. "I've got a very long future ahead of me, potentially 15, 20 years in the game. My priority is that longevity and I'm at the very start."