In the whirlwind world of professional tennis, where fortunes shift as swiftly as a well-placed serve, Emma Raducanu’s latest coaching saga has once again thrust her into the spotlight. The 22-year-old British star, still basking in the glow of her 2021 U.S. Open triumph, has parted ways with her most recent coach, Vladimir Platenik, after a partnership that lasted a mere two weeks and one match. Now, as she powers through the Miami Open, Platenik has broken his silence, revealing the abrupt end to their collaboration and painting a picture of a player under immense pressure—a narrative that’s as much about resilience as it is about the relentless scrutiny she faces.
The story begins in the sunlit courts of Indian Wells earlier this month, where Raducanu, ranked No. 60 in the world, teamed up with Platenik on a trial basis. The 49-year-old Slovakian coach, a seasoned figure with a track record of guiding players like Daria Kasatkina and Dominika Cibulkova, arrived with high hopes. Their first—and only—match together ended in disappointment, a straight-sets loss to Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima that left Raducanu searching for answers. Yet, Platenik saw promise amid the defeat. “I have never had a player improve as fast,” he marveled, reflecting on their brief but intense stint. Over eight or nine days of hard practice, he’d worked to refine her footwork and positioning—elements he believed could propel her back into the world’s top 20 if she stayed the course.
But the course veered sharply. On the eve of her Miami Open opener against wildcard Sayaka Ishii, Raducanu delivered the news over a phone call: their collaboration was over. Platenik, caught off guard, admitted he was “absolutely surprised” by the decision. “Emma said she wanted to pause the collaboration,” he recounted, his tone a mix of understanding and disbelief. The split, confirmed by her team as a mutual parting due to a partnership “not heading in the right direction,” left him absent from her box as she stormed to a 6-2, 6-1 victory in Miami on March 19, 2025. Instead, childhood mentor Jane O’Donoghue and LTA coach Colin Beecher cheered her on, witnessing a performance that showcased her rediscovered rhythm—six aces, a single double fault, and a commanding presence.
Platenik’s departure marks the latest chapter in Raducanu’s well-documented coaching carousel. Since her fairy-tale U.S. Open run, she’s cycled through seven coaches, a pattern that’s fueled endless chatter about her approach to building a stable team. Yet, Platenik offered no bitterness, only empathy. “I totally understand Emma, she’s not in an easy position,” he said, nodding to the weight of expectations that have shadowed her since that New York triumph. “The world is looking at her after the U.S. Open, and everybody is expecting—including herself—what she is going to do next.” He even traced some of her stress to an offhand remark he’d made to Slovakian media, calling the Raducanu gig “coaching suicide”—a quip from years past that resurfaced awkwardly during their brief alliance. “She was stressed also about the newspaper article,” he noted, suggesting it may have tipped the scales.
For Raducanu, the pressure is palpable. Her 2025 season has been a rocky ride—four wins in ten matches, a stalker scare in Dubai that left her shaken, and a first-round exit at Indian Wells. Yet, Miami offered a glimmer of hope. Against Ishii, she was relentless, reeling off nine straight games after an early wobble to secure her first win at the tournament after early exits in 2022 and 2023. Now, she faces a daunting second-round clash with world No. 10 Emma Navarro—a test of her mettle against a player in top form. Platenik, ever the optimist, sees no ceiling for her potential. “If a girl is working, there are no limits,” he said, pointing to 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva’s recent successes as proof.
As Raducanu hunts for her eighth coach, the tennis world watches with bated breath. Platenik’s brief tenure—cut short by a phone call on March 18, 2025—underscores the high stakes of her journey. “I’m not angry,” he insisted, gracious to the end. For Raducanu, it’s back to the drawing board, a familiar place for a champion still chasing stability amid the storm of her own making. In Miami, under the Florida sun, she’s proving she can still shine—coach or no coach—while the search for the right guiding hand continues.
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