In the sunlit courts of Miami, where the echoes of bouncing balls blend with the hum of eager crowds, Emma Raducanu has rediscovered her stride. The 22-year-old British tennis star, once the world’s No. 10 and the 2021 US Open champion, turned heads at the 2025 Miami Open, reaching the quarterfinals in a dazzling display of resilience and skill. It was her best showing since that fairy-tale triumph in New York four years ago, a run that saw her string together four consecutive wins—her longest streak at a single tournament since lifting the Grand Slam trophy as a teenage qualifier. Now, as the grass courts of Wimbledon loom on the horizon, whispers have turned into a roar: Raducanu is reportedly set to stick with her new coaching arrangement, a decision fueled by the magic she found under the Florida sun.
Raducanu’s journey to this moment has been anything but smooth. After a 2023 season derailed by injuries—wrist and ankle surgeries that kept her sidelined for months—she clawed her way back into the top 100. The 2025 season started with promise, only to falter with a string of losses that left her at 3-6 before Miami. A first-round exit at Indian Wells to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima had her questioning her form, but something clicked in Miami. With familiar faces in her corner, she dispatched Japan’s Sayaka Ishii, stunned world No. 10 Emma Navarro in a gritty three-setter, and breezed past McCartney Kessler and Amanda Anisimova before falling to No. 4 Jessica Pegula in a valiant 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 battle. “Since Indian Wells, I wasn’t necessarily feeling great about my tennis, about everything,” she reflected after her Anisimova win. “But this week, I have some very good people around me that I trust, and so I have had fun off the court as well.” That trust, it seems, has paid off—her Miami performance will catapult her back into the top 50 for the first time since September 2022.
The key to this resurgence? A coaching setup that’s as unconventional as it is effective. Raducanu arrived in Miami without a full-time coach, having parted ways with Slovakian Vladimir Platenik after just two weeks and one match—a 6-3, 6-2 loss at Indian Wells. Platenik, a veteran who’s guided players like Dominika Cibulkova to top-10 heights, was a trial run that didn’t stick. “It wasn’t quite heading in the right direction,” her team noted, though she praised his experience, saying, “We did some really good work.” Instead, she turned to a trio of familiar allies: Mark Petchey, a former player turned commentator who’s known her for years; Jane O’Donoghue, a long-time friend and ex-LTA coach; and her fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura. Together, they created a vibe that was less about rigid drills and more about freedom. “When I’m being really authentic, that’s when I’m playing my best,” she told reporters, a mantra that shone through as she danced around the court, mixing power with creativity.
Now, the plan is taking shape for Wimbledon. Petchey, who juggles his role with Tennis Channel, has reportedly been given the green light to join Raducanu full-time this summer, a move that could see him in her box when she steps onto the All England Club’s hallowed grass. It’s a shift from his unofficial support in Miami, where he and O’Donoghue helped her unwind with games like spikeball before matches. “Feeling just happy, relaxed on and off the court has been the biggest thing,” she said after her Pegula loss, hinting at the small joys—playing American football, cornhole, or just laughing with her team—that fueled her fire. Petchey, who once coached a young Andy Murray to his first ATP title, brings a rapport that’s hard to replicate, a mutual respect forged during training sessions in the pandemic summer of 2020.
This isn’t the first time Raducanu’s shaken up her coaching roster. Since her US Open win, she’s cycled through mentors—Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Nick Cavaday—searching for the right fit. Cavaday, who steadied her in 2024, stepped aside in January for health reasons, sparking this latest chapter. Her Miami success without a permanent coach drew a cheeky jab from Nick Kyrgios, who posted online, “People awfully quiet that Raducanu is winning now—where all the experts at?” But Raducanu’s not fazed by the noise. “I’m a bit of a free spirit,” she grinned, “so I don’t need restrictions or to be told what to do.” That spirit carried her through Miami’s humidity, even as a mid-match medical timeout against Pegula checked her vitals—a reminder of the physical battles she’s fought.
As Wimbledon approaches, the stakes rise. Can this loose, joyful setup translate to the grass, where she reached the fourth round as a wildcard in 2021? Her clay season—starting with Charleston—will test her body and her newfound groove. But for now, the Miami run is a beacon, a sign that Raducanu’s best tennis might just be ahead. With Petchey’s steady hand and a team that keeps her smiling, she’s betting on authenticity to carry her back to the top—a gamble that’s already paying dividends.
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