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Greg Rusedski recently noted a mistake committed by Emma Raducanu after winning the 2021 US Open. The former British No.1 said that changing coaches after winning the Grand Slam didn't work in Raducanu's favor and she needs consistency with her coaching team.
At 18, Emma Raducanu surprised the world by winning the US Open in 2021. After winning three qualifiers, she entered the main draw of the major event in New York as the World No. 150. Raducanu then displayed her potential, winning seven matches without dropping a set, and becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam tournament.
However, she failed to recreate her early success and has not reached the final of any WTA event since her US Open success. As an outcome, she regularly made changes to her coaching team, leading to criticism from the fans and pundits alike.
Speaking to Tennis365, Greg Rusedski thinks that Emma Raducanu rose to success too soon and claimed that changing coaches did not help her.
“She went from zero to superstar too quickly, and that was a challenge,” Rusedski said. "Raducanu did the hardest thing in tennis first. She won a Grand Slam. That can never be taken away from her."
"Then you get astronomical fame and sponsorship that anybody in their right mind would have taken, but the mistake she made was the coaching situation. So many changes didn’t help her. I know this has been said before, but you need consistency in your coach and where you are going. She didn’t have that."
In 2025, she worked with Mark Petchey and then appointed Rafael Nadal's coach, Francisco Roig, in August. Raducanu has shown some form under Roig and ended the season as the World No. 29. Greg Rusedski added that consistency with coaches was the key reason behind her getting back into the top-30 in the rankings.
“The reason she is back in the top 30 now is that she has had some consistency with her coaches in recent months, starting with Mark Petchey coming into her team back in March, and then with Francisco Roig coming on board, who has worked with Rafael Nadal. She needs that consistency with her coaching now,” Rusedki added.
Emma Raducanu has worked with nine coaches since her triumph at Flushing Meadows.
Greg Rusedski supports Emma Raducanu for 2026 success
Emma Raducanu wrapped up the 2025 season with a 28-22 win-loss record, with her best finish coming at the DC Open, where she reached the semifinals. She also ended her winless streak at the US Open, winning her first two main differences.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Greg Rusedski is expecting from the former WTA World No.10. Speaking to Tennis365, the former World No.4 said that Emma Raducanu should target a top-20 ranking next season and win relatively smaller events.
“She has got back to where she is in the rankings and has not played a full schedule,” he added. “So I’d expect her to get back into the top 20 next year and the challenge then is to go beyond that and win titles."
“Raducanu now has to win tournaments. She needs to get to finals. She hasn’t done that yet and she needs to start building by winning the lesser events on the main tour,” Rusedki said.
Emma Raducanu finished the 2025 season early in October because of illness and is next confirmed to appear in the United Cup, the first WTA event of 2026 starting on January 2 in Australia.
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