"I didn't know I had a car" - Emma Raducanu opens up about unexpected luxury treatment at Cincinnati Open with Cadillac Escalade car

Emma Raducanu was surprised to discover that she had an entire Cadillac Escalade waiting for her at the Cincinnati Open. The Briton, who has entered the WTA 1000 event as the 30th seed, has received a bye into the Round of 64 of the tournament. She will be playing her first match against either Katie Boulter or Olga Danilovic on August 9.

Amanda Anisimova took a landslide victory over Raducanu in the Round of 32 match, which ended the Brit's quest for the title in the Canadian Open. However, the 2021 US Open Champion came to Ohio with hopes of working her way back to the top of the rankings and reestablishing her dominance on hardcourt.

In a candid interview with The Guardian on August 7, Raducanu expressed shock at the luxurious hospitality she received upon arriving at the airport for the WTA event in Ohio.

“I didn’t know I had a car, so I landed, and they were like: ‘Oh, you have a car,’ and it’s this massive Cadillac Escalade. So I’m like: ‘This is like a bus’. Obviously in England, we’re used to driving small cars, small roads, so I was a bit tight. Wrong side of the road as well. But it’s OK. I managed to get to the hotel,” Emma Raducanu stated.

However, she has appointed new coach Francisco Roig for the on-court driving duties.

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Emma Raducanu's major coaching decision ahead of the Cincinnati Open

Emma Raducanu decided to part ways with Mark Petchey and appointed Rafael Nadal's former coach, Francisco Roig, to her coaching team till the end of 2025. The Brit started trialing with Roig after her Wimbledon campaign concluded, as Petchey was not able to take up a full-time role due to his broadcasting commitments.

Raducanu expressed her delight at being able to add a plethora of experience to her team and spoke on their positive first impressions.

“First impressions are it’s going really well. We did a few days after Wimbledon together and I was really happy with how it went. I’m just so excited to have him on board, so much experience. I’m really looking forward to continuing,” explained the Brit in the same interview with The Guardian.

Roig was a part of Nadal's team from 2005 to 2022 and worked closely to help the 22-time Grand Slam Champion reach the pinnacle of success in his professional career. Raducanu hopes to utilize the expertise and experience of Roig and put it to use to get back to her title-winning ways.