Former British No 1 John Lloyd has spoken to Tennis365 about Emma Raducanu’s reunion with Andrew Richardson following the Brit’s impressive Queen’s Club run.
Raducanu’s only tour-level title to date came at the 2021 US Open, when — as an 18-year-old, 150th-ranked qualifier — she won 10 matches without dropping a set across qualifying and the main draw.
Shortly after her staggering US Open triumph, Raducanu made the shock decision to part ways with Richardson — who had coached her in New York.
Since the split, Raducanu has worked with five different permanent coaches, as well as a host of others on a trial or short-term basis.
After missing over two months due to a viral illness, Raducanu rehired Richardson as her coach ahead of her return to action in Strasbourg last month.
While she lost in the first round in Strasbourg and at Roland Garros, Raducanu reached the final at Queen’s Club in just her third event since Richardson returned to her team.
The 23-year-old earned straight-set wins against Anna Blinkova, Sorana Cirstea, Kamilla Rakhimova and Iva Jovic before losing to Donna Vekic in the championship match at the WTA 500 grass-court event.
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In an exclusive interview with Tennis365 at the Queen’s Club Championships, Lloyd described Raducanu’s split with Richardson in 2021 as “mind-boggling.”
“Well, I mean, no one else has said this, so I’ll probably get in trouble… but to be honest, if I was Andrew Richardson, I would have thought long and hard accepting to come back,” said Lloyd, and Australian Open finalist who reached a career-high ranking of world No 23.
“After what happened at the US Open… that, to me, was mind-boggling. And then she comes back to him when she needs help.
“But whatever, that’s another topic, and that’s for them to see that they’ve worked it out, and they’re fine. I just hope that she sticks with him and gives him a fair chance.
“I said at one stage it was like Watford [the football team] of having a revolving door of coaches. It doesn’t work. So hopefully, there will be a bit of longevity here.
“And Andrew’s very good at what he does, he’s had big success with her, and she obviously feels comfortable.
“No idea why it ended in the first place — that was the most illogical thing I’ve seen for years.
“But they’re back now, so that’s the main thing, and she played great [at Queen’s], and she’s going to move up those rankings — she’s damn good.”
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The post John Lloyd tells Emma Raducanu she made ‘mind-boggling’ mistake: ‘Most illogical thing I’ve seen’ appeared first on Tennis365.
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