Tennis great's message to Emma Raducanu amid coaching drama
British teenage tennis phenomenon Emma Raducanu has been urged to find some coaching stability after a tumultuous period in the wake of her historic US Open title.
Raducanu raised eyebrows after parting ways with coach Andrew Richardson after her US Open victory - in a move that surprised many tennis commentators.
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Richardson coached the teenage star for two years at youth level and linked up with her again in July on a short-term deal for the duration of her time in the United States.
However, Raducanu said she was looking for a coach with more experience at the elite level of world tennis.
The 18-year-old parted ways with coach Nigel Sears after her breakthrough Wimbledon run to the last 16, where she eventually succumbed to breathing difficulties.
She then linked up with Richardson to claim an almost unthinkable maiden grand slam title at Flushing Meadows, before again deciding to move on to new pastures.
Raducanu's partnership with Katie Boulter's coach Jeremy Bates was always going to be a stop-gap situation for the Indian Wells tournament in which the Brit crashed out in her first match.
The World No.24 is now set to link up with Spaniard Esteban Carril - who previously worked with fellow Brit Johanna Konta, before being axed just weeks after she was named most improved player of 2016 and broke into the world's top ten.
Raducanu in set to play in the Transylvania Open in her father's native Romania, but Carril is not set to start his tenure with the Brit until after the tournament.
Carril will be Raducanu's fourth different coach in four months and British tennis great Greg Rusedksi says the teenager needs to find some stability for her game to flourish.
“Esteban (Carril) did a great job with Jo Konta when she had her big breakthrough and got into the top 10 in the world," he said.
“Hopefully this works out for Emma. But she needs consistency from a team point of view to push on with all the success she has had at the US Open.”
Former British tennis player Barry Cowan said despite enjoying success at Wimbledon and then the US Open, Raducanu simply cannot keep churning through the coaches.
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“She made the Last 16 of Wimbledon and the coach got fired. She won the US Open and the coach got fired," Cowan said.
“You cannot keep running your career like that. It will eventually catch up with you.
“Certainly she needs to build up and strike a relationship with Esteban. I hope it is successful and lasts.
“I don’t care who you are, whether you are Emma Raducanu, Serena Williams or Novak Djokovic, if you are having coaches short-term, it’s going to come back to bite you."
Michael Joyce - the American coach who masterminded Maria Sharapova's rise to tennis stardom - described taking over the role as the British teen's tennis mentor as somewhat of a poisoned chalice.
"I was really surprised with the wording of the statement that was released when Emma announced she was splitting with Andrew Richardson, saying she felt she needed someone with Tour-level experience," Joyce told Sun Sport.
“I didn’t like the statement. If you have a good coach and it works well, then you’d think you would want to stick with them. Why would you want a big-name coach?
“She’s a great player but it’s going to be a tough job for the next coach, as expectations are high.
“If she goes to the Australian Open next year and goes out early, people will say it’s because of the coach.
“I’d known Maria for quite a long time before coaching her, as I was her hitting partner. We got to know each other, we were on a journey.
“It’s a tough one for whoever comes in and works with Emma as they won’t have that relationship and they will be under a lot of scrutiny.”
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