Raducanu happy with 'informal' coaching set-up

Emma Raducanu has paused the search for a new full-time coach, saying she is happy to "keep things informal" as her part-time partnership with Mark Petchey continues.

Raducanu brought Petchey - a well-known figure in British tennis circles and a former coach of Andy Murray - into her coaching team on a casual basis at last month's Miami Open.

Petchey was in the coaching box as the 22-year-old Briton reached the quarter-finals and produced her best tennis of the season.

After Miami, Raducanu wanted Petchey to lead the team on a more regular basis, but committing time around his television broadcasting work has been a stumbling block.

Raducanu, who is returning to competitive action this week at the Madrid Open after a month off, said Petchey will be "fitting" her around his other commitments at the WTA 1000 clay-court event.

"I'm happy with the set-up going forward right now - it's been working well," said the world number 49.

"I like him a lot and I've known him since before the US Open [victory in 2021] and it's nice to have familiar faces around."

Raducanu has not had a full-time coach since January, when Nick Cavaday stood down for health reasons, and ended a two-week trial with Vladimir Platenik on the eve of the Miami Open.

She had previously worked with a wide range of coaches including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson - who was in charge during her run to the US Open title - Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs.

On Petchey, Raducanu added: "We're keeping things informal for now and it's been working. He's someone I've known for a long time and I do feel like I can trust him.

"For now there is no real thing set in stone but we're taking it week to week and he's helping me as much as he can alongside his current commitments."

Post-Miami, Raducanu decided it would be more beneficial to skip Great Britain's Billie Jean King Cup tie and do a short training block in the United States instead.

The 2021 US Open champion spent the time in Los Angeles, where she worked with Petchey for 10 days before heading back to Europe.

Raducanu, who has known Petchey since she was a teenager, says she is enjoying the "thought-provoking" nature of their conversations.

Creating a relaxed atmosphere around her - which she said helped her "express" herself in Miami and be more "authentic" - is another hallmark of the partnership.

Raducanu has also found greater equilibrium off the court. In LA, she enjoyed hiking trips in the mountains, while going to a post-training yoga class in Madrid is another example of her trying to strike a work-life balance.

"I'm happy with [the training block] and how I'm feeling on the court right now. I think I did some great work on my game and I'm looking forward to testing it on a match court," said British number two Raducanu.

"We created our own little bubble and it was nice to be working on my game out there but at the same time having fun and enjoying it.

"He's helped me in a lot of areas of my game and also off the court finding things to stimulate me mentally and constantly challenging me - which I like."

Raducanu will return to the WTA Tour when she faces Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands in the Madrid first round later this week.

It will be her first match since losing to American world number three Jessica Pegula in the Miami quarter-finals on 27 March.

"I had a long start to the year with many weeks in a row and I think my body and brain needed to have a little recharge," Raducanu said.

"With the transition to a different surface on clay, I feel I'm not at the point that I can switch surfaces in back-to-back weeks."