Emma Raducanu shifts coaching approach for Indian Wells after Roig split
emma raducanu will enter matches at Indian Wells without a permanent, full-time coach, relying instead on short-term advisers and on-court support. Friday at 2: 30 p. m. ET, her split with Francisco Roig and a stated plan to “tap into a few people” have left her using day-to-day coaching arrangements while she tries to rediscover her natural game.
Emma Raducanu leans on Mark Petchey and ad hoc advisers at the tournament
The most immediate change is practical: Mark Petchey is on-site and helping on a day-to-day basis, placed at the top of the list of people Raducanu has asked for assistance. Petchey has been on court regularly this week, and the arrangement is expressly informal — he could resume the ad hoc role he held previously. Emma Raducanu has said she does not want a full-time coach who dictates how she must play, and she has been “tapping into a few people” rather than naming a new permanent hire. Alexis Canter has also been part of her recent work, and Raducanu has noticed an improvement over the past few days.
Match delay on Court 2 extended Raducanu’s wait against Amanda Anisimova
A second, immediate consequence affected timing: Raducanu was scheduled on Court number two but was kept waiting while other matches finished. Her opponent is American Amanda Anisimova, and the preceding Naomi Osaka–Camila Osorio match went to a deciding third set after Osorio took the second set 6-3, stretching the session and delaying Raducanu’s entrance. That hold-up forced a later start to her pre-match routine and lengthened the time she spent preparing courtside.
Split with Francisco Roig shaped her return-to-style plan and sponsor context
Longer term, the coaching breakup has driven a change in how Raducanu plans to rebuild her game. Her partnership with Francisco Roig ended after the Australian Open over a disagreement about playing style, and she has said she wants to bring back the aggressive, free-hitting instincts from earlier in her career. She has also enlisted informal help from coaches she trusts rather than committing immediately to a new full-time figure. Separately, she has a new sponsor and will wear that brand at the tournament, marking a commercial shift alongside the changes on-court.
Still, the practical outcome is simple and measurable: Raducanu is operating without a single permanent coach at Indian Wells, using short-term, trial and day-to-day support while she tests a return to a more aggressive style.
That approach has two immediate risks and one potential upside. The risk: any new adviser who appears in a trial role will attract scrutiny and could pressure Raducanu into sticking with them even if the fit is imperfect. The said she feared that pressure and prefers not to install a coach who will tell her to play in a way she disagrees with. The upside: informal, varied input — including from Petchey, who has worked with top players early in their careers — gives her multiple perspectives as she tries to relaunch attacking instincts.
What could reverse or accelerate this situation is a clear competitive result at Indian Wells. Her next confirmed event is her first-round match at Indian Wells against Amanda Anisimova; if Raducanu wins, she would move into the tournament’s next round by that evening. That match outcome will be the first concrete test of whether the day-to-day coaching approach and short-term adjustments can translate into on-court progress.
