Since making her breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2021, Emma Raducanu has worked with five different coaches on her team. She most recently parted ways with Sebastian Sachs as she continues to recover from surgery. Her agent, IMG’s Max Eisenbud, says it is a “comfortable” approach for Raducanu and her father Ian and could continue. Raducanu won the US Open in 2021.
Emma Raducanu’s agent has defended her regular changing of coaches and says it is “probably going to be like that for the rest of her career”.
Raducanu, 20, has worked with five coaches in the last two years.
Most recently she was with Sebastian Sachs, while she also parted ways with Andrew Richardson following her shock win at the 2021 US Open.
“It’s probably going to be like that for the rest of her career. That’s what’s comfortable for them,” IMG senior vice-president Max Eisenbud told The Tennis Podcast about Raducanu and her father Ian.
“I’m not saying it is right or wrong, but that is the way they have done it, and I think it is fine to do things differently.
“All the way up through the juniors, they never had coaches a long time, so, for them, that’s calm waters – having a coach for four to five months and then going on to someone else.
“Emma and her dad have their own philosophy. Richard Williams (father of Venus and Serena) had his own philosophy, which was different, and Yuri Sharapova (father of Maria) had his.
“We are not sitting in a sport that has a plethora of great coaches – maybe eight, nine or 10 great coaches.
“Most of the great, great coaches don’t want to travel for 35 or 40 weeks a year and leave their families, so you have a small pool that are willing to travel and charge very little money, so they keep getting recycled and recycled. That is why you see coaches hopping around.”
Raducanu worked with Nigel Sears when she made her breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2021, reaching the fourth round as a wild card.
She then had Richardson in her box for her stunning victory at the US Open. That relationship was not continued and Torben Beltz joined the team later that year but left in April 2022.
Former world No. 20 Dmitry Tursunov spent several months with Raducanu last summer before warning of “red flags” after leaving.
I have really enjoyed Seb’s coaching and working with him, it’s unfortunate that circumstances made it unfeasible for both of us to continue right now and we have decided to part ways. I wish Seb all the best moving forwards. 🦾 pic.twitter.com/wrewLWVDVS
— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) June 1, 2023
And last month Raducanu, who had surgery on her wrists and ankle in May and seems unlikely to return to the US Open next month, parted company with Sachs.
Eisenbud acknowledged the quick turnover could put off other coaches working with Raducanu.
“There are coaches who might be afraid to take the shot because they’ve seen the track record,” he said.
“I understand it is uncomfortable and doesn’t fit in the box that everyone wants, but if Emma Raducanu’s biggest issue is that she is changing coaches every couple of months, I will sign up for that.”
Raducanu is currently ranked at No. 131 in the world.
