Emma Raducanu headed into 2026 with injury concerns hovering over her once again, but former British No 1 Greg Rusedski believes she has already made the decision that could fire her back into contention at the top of the game.
Raducanu’s constantly changing coaching set-up has been a theme for the Brit since her stunning victory at the 2021 US Open, as she became the first player to move through qualifying and lift a Grand Slam title.
After hiring Francisco Roig as her coach in 2025, she has decided to stick with the experienced operator, who has worked in the Rafael Nadal camp and has also had a spell working with former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Raducanu confirmed their partnership was progressing positively as she extended her agreement with Roig into 2026 and Rusedski believes this is a partnership that can reap rewards for the 23-year-old.
“Her story was a little different for her because all of a sudden, she wins a Slam at 18,” said Rusedski, speaking about Raducanu on the latest episode of Off Court with Greg, which will be released on Monday.
More Tennis News
Aus Open projected women’s seeds: Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff top 3, Osaka, Mboko, Raducanu make cut
Emma Raducanu makes ‘it’s very difficult right now’ confession after United Cup loss
“Nobody has done that in their first three majors apart from the greats of the game, so everyone is thinking Emma Raducanu will be No 1, she can win multiple majors, she can be the new face of the WTA.
“Then she didn’t have the consistency, but now with Francisco Roig, a coach I’ve actually worked with, I think she has that solidity behind her.
“I thought she played a pretty good opening match against (Maria) Sakkari in the United Cup. Even though she lost, she looked in pretty good form and if she is physically in good shape, she is trending in the right direction. She is a top 30 player now and I think that partnership (with Roig) is going to last.
“Fransico is a strong character and wouldn’t join Emma’s team unless he thought she could get deep into the second week of Slams and possibly win. I’m excited about this partnership and I’m hoping they will continue for a long period of time and be very successful.”
Raducanu has had a troubled off-season, with an injury problem hampering her progress, but she has arrived in Hobart to play in the WTA Tour event that precedes the Australian Open in an upbeat mood.
She has also received the backing of former Wimbledon doubles champion Mark Woodforde, who told Tennis365 that he is hopeful of seeing a continued rise up the rankings for Raducanu.
“We shouldn’t judge her on that one result at the US Open,” Woodforde told Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador at the Bank of China Hong Kong Open.
“If she can replicate what she did in New York, that would be brilliant, but it was probably something that happened too soon, too quickly in her career.
“It’s not that you wouldn’t want it to happen to you, but in a country that has been starved of female players and desperate for her to do well, it must have been very difficult for her.
“What was encouraging was that over there were times last year when she seemed to be starting to build the foundation again to show some of that form that was discovered at the US Open a few years back.
“It is a hard one to judge right now, but I’m sure UK and British tennis praying on their hands and knees that she is successful. She has put some life back into British women’s tennis and the momentum for players like Katie Boulter has been inspired by the success of Emma Raducanu.”
READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu explains racket switch after experimenting during training
The post Former British No 1 believes Emma Raducanu has made a decision that could fire her to glory appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply