Emma Raducanu reunites with US Open-winning coach and hints at return to competition | Tennis | Sport

Emma Raducanu has been training under the watchful eye of Andrew Richardson, the man who was in her corner during her historic run to the 2021 US Open title, as she gears up for a return to competition. The British No. 1 has not played a match in almost two months, missing the Miami Open, the WTA 500 event in Linz, and the Madrid Open.

But Raducanu has returned to training after suffering from lingering post-viral symptoms from an illness. It is understood that she spent a few days training at the Ferrer Academy in Alicante last week and leaned on Richardson to help her prepare for the clay swing, given their history together.

Raducanu faced criticism when she ended her working relationship with Richardson just weeks after her US Open triumph in 2021 in favour of hiring a coach with more WTA Tour experience.

But at this stage in her career, the Brit has often turned to trusted figures who knew her before her Grand Slam victory five years ago. Her informal coaching arrangements with Mark Petchey are a sign of that.

The world No. 27 has not had a full-time coach since splitting from Francisco Roig in January, and said she wasn’t actively looking for one. She has since travelled with hitting partner Alexis Canter, while Petchey helped her in Indian Wells. But Canter played an ITF event in Nottingham this week, losing in the first round.

It’s understood that there are no plans for Richardson to stay on for the rest of the clay season. But Raducanu often taps into old mentors for advice on occasion. And since her brief training stint in Alicante, Raducanu has also been training at the National Tennis Centre in London.

The 23-year-old looks set to return to competition at next week’s Italian Open, as she has appeared on Saturday’s practice schedule, booking a 12pm to 1pm slot with Eva Lys. It has not yet been confirmed whether she will definitely make a comeback in Rome, but Raducanu looks to be giving herself a good chance to prepare to play.

The WTA 1000 tournament gets underway on Tuesday. Raducanu would likely be seeded and would not contest her first match there until Thursday or Friday. She is defending 120 ranking points from a fourth-round run in Rome last year.

The Brit would then have the option of entering a smaller WTA event in Strasbourg or Rabat, or heading straight to the French Open.