Emma Raducanu makes major career move ahead of US Open, joins forces with Rafael Nadal's ex-coach

Emma Raducanu has made a major addition to her team ahead of the fast approaching US Open. Raducanu has begun working with Rafael Nadal's ex-coach Francisco Roig as she hunts for the second Grand Slam title of her career.

Raducanu, who skyrocketed to fame after she won the 2021 US Open, has been infamous for changing coaches. The youngster has had eight head coaches since her maiden Grand Slam triumph, with the list including Nick Cavaday, Nigel Sears and Andrew Richardson amongst others.

After going solo for a short period of time, the 22-year-old began working with former coach Mark Petchey earlier this year on a part-time basis. Now, she has added Francisco Roig to her team till the end of the year. Roig previously worked as Rafael Nadal's backup coach for nearly two decades.

According to reports, Emma Raducanu and Roig began talks during the Wimbledon Championships earlier this year and subsequently underwent a successful trial period. With the US Open right around the corner, fans will be curious to see the results of this new partnership.

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Emma Raducanu reflects on the biggest improvements in her game over the past few months

Raducanu at the HSBC Championships (Image Source: Getty)

After her Grand Slam victory in 2021, Emma Raducanu has had a difficult few years. The Brit has dealt with multiple injury issues that have prevented her from making the most of her potential.

However, Raducanu has successfully turned things around this season and is slowly working her way back to the top. In a media interaction at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the former US Open champion reflected on the recent improvements in her game, saying,

“I think I have just been doing a lot of work consistently, just putting a lot of tennis in. Sometimes even if you don't feel good when you're practicing because you're doing a lot of hours and you don't feel like you're really pushing, it's all kind of hours banked. I think I have done a lot of groundwork now, and I'm just trying to work on cementing the basics a lot, particular shots just work on as well from the back of the court.”

At the Mubadala Citi DC Open, Emma Raducanu made it to the semifinals before going down to Anna Kalinskaya. After that, the Brit returned to action at the Canadian Open, where she lost to fifth seed and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova in the third round.