Former British No 1 and WTA star Laura Robson believes Emma Raducanu and returning coach Mark Petchey share the “same ideas” about how the former US Open champion should play on court.
World No 25 Raducanu has turned to Petchey for the upcoming WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, with action in Tennis Paradise starting next week.
An acclaimed coach and pundit, and a former professional player himself, Petchey has been a trusted figure for Raducanu for several years.
Petchey initially worked with the 23-year-old back when she was a teenager, and also spent time coaching Raducanu during spells of her 2025 season.
The latest reunion between the two comes after Raducanu had split with Francisco Roig following a six-month partnership, the pair heading their separate ways after a disappointing Australian Open campaign.
The world No 25 has been working with Alexis Canter since then and reached the final of the Transylvania Open in Cluj, though she was affected by illness during a disappointing swing in the Middle East.
It is currently unclear how long Raducanu and Petchey will be back working together before the Brit hires a new permanent coach.
However, speaking to Sky Sports this week, former top-30 player and tennis pundit Robson revealed just why Raducanu and Petchey were a good fit.
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She said: “I think we make such a big deal out of the coaching situation and as long as she [Raducanu] is feeling happy on the court, as long as she’s confident out there then that’s half the job done, and that’s what coaches try and bring out in you when you do have one.
“She obviously gets on really well with Petch. They’ve been on and off for a fair few years now and it’s someone she knows. They have the same ideas. They agree on so much that she needs to bring out there, so why not?
“As long as you’ve got someone who’s taking care of the boring stuff like the logistics of booking practice, finding someone to practice with, racket re-strings — all of that. As long as that’s taken care of, then you can just focus on trying to play.
“They have the same identity of how both of them feel she should be as a player.”
Raducanu has lost her three most recent matches on the WTA Tour, falling to Sorana Cirstea in the Transylvania Open final, before retiring with illness against Camila Osorio at the Qatar Open, and then tasting defeat to Antonia Ruzic at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
She will look to return to winning ways and find some strong form in Indian Wells next week, with the world No 25 set to be seeded at the prestigious tournament for the first time since 2022.
Raducanu reached the fourth round of the event in 2023 and progressed to round three in 2022 and 2024, though was beaten in the opening round by Moyuka Uchijima in 2025.
However, by being seeded, she will receive an opening-round bye this year.
Action in Indian Wells will then be followed by the second half of the ‘Sunshine Double’ at the Miami Open, where Raducanu was a quarter-finalist under Petchey’s guidance last March.
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