Not long before she was due on court for one of the more significant occasions of her career so far, Emma Raducanu was pictured surrounded by her temporary team of the week – Jane O’Donoghue, Mark Petchey and Yutaka Nakamura – on the player warmup lawn inside the hulking Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. While many players try to enjoy a quiet moment alone in their own thoughts before being called on to court, team Raducanu were preoccupied by an epic spikeball battle.
At one point during the game, which involves players rebounding a ball against a springy, circular net between them with their hands, Petchey threw himself on the ground in a doomed attempt to save the point. They were all soon doubled over with laughter.
Those scenes helpfully illustrated the point that Raducanu has repeatedly made during her strong quarter-final run at the Miami Open. After an uncertain start to the tournament, with Raducanu opting to end her trial period with the Slovak coach Vladimir Platenik a day before her first-round match, Raducanu now believes that she is able to unlock her creativity and play with freedom in a positive, relaxed atmosphere rather than with a rigid approach.
She is far from the first player to prioritise good vibes in her coaching partnerships. These are odd, intense relationships, where players spend so much time with their support staff who can also often be significantly older than them. “If I can’t vibe you off court, I’d rather [not work with you],” the men’s world No 17, Frances Tiafoe, said. “There are a lot of stern-ass coaches out here. I don’t think I would do so well with them, because they may think I’m not serious, how I go about it.”
The question is how, and with who, she can replicate this atmosphere on a regular basis. It seems unlikely that the group this week will be retained long term. Although she has repeatedly stepped in to help her friend during her times of need, O’Donoghue now works in finance. Petchey, meanwhile, is primarily a broadcaster.
In recent years, as she has cycled through coaches, Raducanu has clearly appeared more comfortable and successful when working with familiar faces who knew her before her breakthrough. The 22-year-old’s team has a tough challenge ahead as they try to find the right person to accompany her on the tour.
With her poor results over the past few years, there have naturally been a lot of questions and criticisms of her overall ability. However, Raducanu performed at a high level in Miami, showing different layers to her game throughout. She frustrated her opponents by constantly changing the speed, spin and trajectory of her shots, she used her backhand slice effectively and is as strong defensively as she has ever been.
However, this run also showed off her offensive talents, from her sweet timing, early ball-striking and relentless return of serve to her significant service improvements. Her attacking capabilities were particularly impressive in her two top-10 meetings.
After dictating most of her three-set second-round win over Emma Navarro, the No 8 seed, Raducanu responded to a faultless opening set from the fourth seed, Jessica Pegula, in their quarter-final by elevating her game to produce an impressive display of offensive striking. She was ultimately beaten by a top player who maintained her high level until the end.
Of the numerous ways Raducanu’s US Open triumph was unhelpful to her development, it simply did not convey how difficult this sport actually is. She was seemingly on the tour for all of two seconds before she won a grand slam, which was her fourth ever tour-level event and her second major appearance. In reality, most players find their way through adversity and this sport rewards gradual improvement.
Even the best players end most of their tournament weeks with a defeat, but they are also the most adept at learning from those failings. After demonstrating her solid form against the leading players, the next step in Raducanu’s career is to find consistency with her work and performances, using a result like this to further motivate her.
Considering the turbulent trajectory of her career over the past three years, it is pointless to predict whether this is a new beginning or a total anomaly. Although she is clearly seeing the fruits of her labour with the renowned strength and conditioning coach Nakamura, Raducanu still needs to ensure her body is robust enough to withstand the rigours of a long, attritional season.
She also needs to continue to approach her daily work with the consistency and joy she found in Miami while striving for progress each day in spite of the challenges ahead. Regardless of how the coming months pan out, it will make for an interesting spectacle as ever.
