Despite storming into the tennis spotlight following her miraculous title win at last year's U.S. Open, Emma Raducanu refuses to take the same approach when it comes to coaching appointments.
The 19-year-old has been training without a permanent coach since she ended her five-month partnership with Torben Beltz in April. She recently made her clay-court debut and advanced to the second round in her maiden French Open appearance while working with several consultants courtesy of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
Raducanu has only three weeks until she returns to Wimbledon, where she made her Grand Slam debut last year. Speaking ahead of her grass comeback at the Nottingham Open this week, the prospect continues to give off an air of calm when quizzed about her coaching conundrum.
"I want to take my time with this decision," said the British No. 1. "Nothing has changed. I still have the same people, good people, around me. I don't want to rush into anything.
"Personally, I think I know what I'm doing. I'm trusting what I'm doing and the work I'm doing. I'm still 19 and I've already won a Grand Slam so I can take my time and put things in place because I know my motivation isn't any less."
Raducanu made her WTA debut in last year's Nottingham Open, which ended up being the start of a brief journey to a fairytale triumph in New York. She'll face Viktorija Golubic in the first phase of the competition, hoping to join compatriots Harriet Dart and Heather Watson in the second round.
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Nigel Sears was Raducanu's coach when she advanced to the fourth round of last year's Wimbledon Championships as a wildcard. She reunited with former youth coach Andrew Richardson prior to her famous victory at Flushing Meadows but switched again less than two weeks after the U.S. Open.
Shortly after splitting from German mentor Beltz, Raducanu described herself as a "loner." The Toronto-born talent said at the time she was discovering things about herself, 'understanding what she needs and doesn't need.'
After a "surreal" debut year on the pro circuit, Raducanu added she's "really believing" in the work she's undertaken. "I don't think anyone would say 'I wish I didn't win a Grand Slam at 18' because that is what I set out to do when I started playing tennis - and I did that," she added.
"For that to happen very soon definitely comes with a lot of challenges but managing, learning and growing through the adversities that I have faced - I would much rather have that, learn from those experiences and keep building and progressing."
