Dmitry Tursunov reveals why he ended his coaching relationship with Emma Raducanu
Former Russian tennis player and coach Dmitry Tursunov has revealed why he parted ways with Emma Raducanu. Tursunov stated that he was not happy with the contract negotiations, which led to him ending their professional relationship.
Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title at the 2021 US Open. She won the grand Slam title by defeating Canadian tennis player Leylah Fernandez. Tursunov was appointed on a trial basis as Emma Raducanu's coach ahead of the 2022 US Open for her title-defending campaign.
In a recent conversation with Craig Shapiro, the 40-year-old confessed that he was the one who brought the coaching negotiations to a close. He said that the negotiations dragged on for much too long and that his demands were ignored.
"I stopped the negotiations. I felt like the negotiations went too long," Dmitry Tursunov revealed on a recent episode of 'The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast. "Too far that wasn’t a solid commitment, not on the terms that I liked. We started to negotiate over things that were so trivial and insignificant in my mind that it wouldn’t have worked. I didn’t feel secure enough."
Tursunov was dissatisfied with the conversation, believing that minor details of the coaching contract were taking precedence.
"I didn’t feel like it’s a serious set up I didn’t feel like it’s gonna be a long-term relationship," Tursunov revealed. "I felt like it at any point it can break over something insignificant and I could have been wrong maybe I had PTSD, you know, from previous relationships."
The 20-year-old has a history of changing coaches on multiple occasions in her brief career. Former coaches who have left her include Andrew Richardson, Jeremy Bates, Nigel Sears, and Torben Beltz.
Dmitry Tursunov believes Emma Raducanu will find her form
Dmitry Tursunov believes Emma Raducanu will work things out and return to form because she is a smart player. The 20-year-old shot to prominence in her early days after capturing the US Open title in 2021.
However, the Briton has struggled to rediscover her flow since winning the Grand Slam, resulting in a string of dismal finishes on tour.
Despite the poor performance, Tursunov believes Raducanu will return to the top level.
"I mean, with me, she was [a hard worker]. Sooner or later, she's just gonna sort it out. She's too smart of a person not to sort out you know. She loves tennis too much not to figure it out," Tursunov said on The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast.
The Briton's 2023 season has been underwhelming. so far. She lost in the second round of the ASB Classic and the Australian Open against Viktoria Kuzmova and Coco Gauff, respectively.