Emma Raducanu is currently competing without a permanent coach, and her latest interim appointment for the 2025 Indian Wells Open has been revealed.
Raducanu worked with her childhood coach, Nick Cavaday, for slightly over a year. It was the longest stint she has had with a coach since turning professional after short-term partnerships with several others.
The Briton seemed to enjoy collaborating with Cavaday, who became her full-time coach at the start of the 2024 WTA season. However, he left her team after the 2025 Australian Open for health and family reasons.
Raducanu worked with a couple of others temporarily during the Middle Eastern swing, including Roman Kelecic, another of her childhood coaches. She struggled without a permanent coach and only managed one victory during her three tournaments in the Middle East.
Tom Welsh, an academy coach at the Lawn Tennis Association, will be her latest interim coach. Despite his lack of experience coaching top WTA players, Raducanu hopes he can provide her with helpful insights in Indian Wells.
Raducanu’s lack of a permanent coach was probably not the only reason for her poor form in the Middle East. She also dealt with a stalker who Kelecic confirmed followed her to Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai.
The creep then attended her match in Dubai against Karolina Muchova. After noticing him in the crowd, Raducanu became visibly upset and hid behind the umpire’s chair until he was escorted out of the stadium.
That scary incident has led to the Indian Wells Open offering Raducanu additional security for the tournament. It is unknown at this stage whether the 22-year-old will take up that offer from the organizers in California.
Although the tournaments since have been challenging, Raducanu showed what she is capable of at the 2025 Australian Open. She defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in two tiebreaks after a hard-fought and topsy-turvy battle.
That was followed by a win in the second against Amanda Anisimova, weathering a storm against the big-hitting American. Beating Anisimova now seems even more impressive with hindsight after her incredible run to the 2025 Qatar Open title.
Raducanu also has fond memories of the U.S. from her remarkable achievement at the 2021 US Open. She won the title as an 18-year-old qualifier, not dropping a set throughout the tournament at Flushing Meadows.
That remains among the most unexpected sporting moments ever. Winning a few rounds at the US Open would have been considered a good achievement for Raducanu after qualifying, but she went on to do much more than that.
Although replicating that achievement was never going to be easy, she has not reached a WTA final since. Raducanu’s talent meant many would have expected her to get to at least one or WTA 250 finals in the three and a half years that have followed.
The Briton will try to find some of her old magic at next week’s Indian Wells Open. Raducanu would make a statement by having a deep run at the tournament, signaling to the tennis world that she is ready to rise again.
