Emma Raducanu's EIGHT coaches since 2021 played role in injury crisis

MIKE DICKSON: Differing advice from the EIGHT different coaches Emma Raducanu has worked with since 2021 has contributed to the US Open champion’s struggles with injury… as the Briton splits from Sebastian Sachs after just six months

• Raducanu announced the split from her German coach on Thursday via Twitter
• The 20-year-old is currently recovering from sugery on her ankle and wrists
• Raducanu is unlikely to play until after the US Open and may miss rest of season 

The off court turbulence around Emma Raducanu continues to swirl with the injured former US Open champion splitting with yet another coach.

She sprung a surprise this morning when announcing that German Sebastian Sachs would be going the way of so many others while she recuperates from two surgeries to her wrist and one to her ankle.

On social media Raducanu said: ‘ 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.’

Even for one with such a record of changing the personnel around her it was an unexpected development because she has always spoken so warmly of the 31 year-old who enjoys a sound reputation in the game.

The decision was described as mutual, although there is a history of contractual issues and a reluctance to invest in long-term commitment that has blighted the effort to give her game a consistent identity.

Emma Raducanu announced her split with coach Sebastian Sachs via Twitter on Thursday

The player has always spoken warmly of the 31-year-old but she cited ‘unfeasible circumstances’ that broke up the partnership

Since bursting through at Wimbledon 2021 could be said to have worked with eight different coaches, depending on who is counted as having been officially on board.

There has been Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Jane O’Donoghue, Iain Bates, Louis Cayer and Dmitry Tursunov aside from Sachs.

As several observers have pointed out, the input of advice from so many different directions on such things as technique and string tensions is likely to have contributed to the succession of physical mishaps which have seen her career go backwards since Flushing Meadows.

Richardson recently revealed to Mail Sport that he had wanted to continue with her after their US Open partnership, but that negotiations had broken down.

It is also believed that going forward there will be a reduced role for former British player Chris Heliar from her management company IMG, who has been her media contact and adviser – one of the few constants in her career since she soared to fame. 

Andrew Richardson (left) failed to take up a permanent role after Raducanu’s US Open triumph

Raducanu is currently recuperating from the three operations, and recently went on a working and leisure trip to Mexico, where she carried out some promotional duties for Dior. She is due to travel to China later this month to attend an exhibition tournament where she will not be playing but is expected to do more commercial activities.

She is unlikely to be back on court for several months, and it is probable that she will not play until after the US Open. She might even sit out the rest of the season to fully recover.

Either way, with a ranking that had already dropped below 100 by the time she underwent surgery it is extremely concerning that there are no signs of much-needed stability around her as her career flounders.

Consistency on the technical side is regarded as desirable by most players, and there has been a surfeit of advice for Raducanu on this front.

Her father Ian, who is the biggest influence on her career, is well-known for his belief that different coaches can add expertise on different shots, and that taking input from different sources can be a positive. The results of the last eighteen months suggest otherwise.

Before Sachs, Raducanu worked with Dmitry Tursunov, but they failed to extend their contract

The 20-year-old is hopeful that after recovering from her surgeries she will have banished the injuries that have plagued her since 2021

Tursunov upped her on court workload before he walked away from the job following the 2022 US Open, referring to ‘red flags’ that he had experienced. At the same time he was complimentary about Raducanu herself and her work ethic.

He is another who is believed to have wanted a longer term deal than was being offered.

The net result has been a constant stream of injuries that culminated with a terse press conference in Madrid last month where, unusually, Heliar was absent. After that she revealed that she was having to undergo surgery to address problems that had become more acute in the post-Tursunov period.

She appointed Sachs in mid-December and, publicly at least, had always said she was happy with him.

Source: Read Full Article