Emma Raducanu burst onto the tennis scene with a bang. Clinching the US Open title, she proved she’s a force to be reckoned with—all before most 22-year-olds figure out their go-to coffee order. But as much as her meteoric rise wowed the world, her journey has been anything but smooth. Behind her dazzling forehands and relentless energy lies a challenge she’s faced off the court—her coaching carousel. Raducanu’s frequent coach changes have sparked a fair share of debates, and not everyone has been her biggest cheerleader on this front. Enter John Lloyd, former British pro and Chris Evert’s ex-husband, who had some strong opinions about her decisions.

Lloyd, who was married to Evert between 1979 and 1987, released his autobiography Dear John: The John Lloyd Autobiography in May 2022. He used his book as a platform to discuss a wide range of topics and shared his perspectives on multiple aspects witnessed on the courts. One such issue was Raducanu’s coaching changes, which did not sit well with Lloyd, who did not hesitate to criticize her move and highlighted that she could have received better advice from her team.

Penning his thoughts in the book, Lloyd wrote, “Raducanu will learn all about this in her own way. She appears bright and intelligent. My concern after the US Open triumph was how rapidly she was changing coaches. That said, I don’t think she made those decisions – with either Nigel Sears, who was with her at Wimbledon, or Andrew Richardson, who was with her at the US Open. She was very close to both of them and both did phenomenal jobs. So, the decision to get rid came from somewhere else. It was not a good sign.” Remember, Raducanu started her career under Nigel Sears, but they parted ways following her Wimbledon fourth-round exit in 2021. While she joined forces with Andrew Richardson and won the US Open under his tutelage. The duo split up soon after her victory. Raducanu’s coaching changes did not end here. 

The British sensation appointed Torben Beltz as her coach in November 202, but it lasted only 5 months with Raducanu announcing a split in early 2022. She also worked with Dmitry Tursunov on a trial basis but it did not work out either. And now, she is working with Nick Cavaday as her coach. However, the changes did not impress Lloyd who believe Raducanu’s team could have advised her better. “The Raducanu camp could say these were only ever meant to be temporary arrangements, but that doesn’t mean they could not have been made permanent – and with those successes, both should have been,” he wrote further in the book. Interestingly, Lloyd is not the only person to have shared such thoughts.

 Resonating similar sentiments to Lloyd, Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou also made his stance clear on the matter. “That’s not the ideal situation. If she was my daughter, I wouldn’t advise to do that, because you need stability to build something, whatever it is. Whenever there are changes in terms of coaches, there are project changes. So you cannot build something. And also you need stability,” he had said previously. But amidst the criticisms she has faced, Raducanu has continuously revealed how difficult it was for her to make these changes. 

When Emma Raducanu opened up on her coaching changes

Emma Raducanu’s continuous changes to her coaching team have surprised tennis enthusiasts over the years. While her quite stable partnership with Cavaday has quieted the noise to some extent, critics have always questioned her for abruptly making decisions about changing her team. But now, Raducanu has opened up on the entire matter as she engaged in an interaction with Independent on December 16. 

Speaking in the interview, Raducanu said that she has often been misrepresented in the tennis corridors over her team changes. “It’s never really been my interest or philosophy to chop and change coaches,” the Brit said. Continuing further, she revealed that it was the situation that made her make some tough decisions. “I’ve never really wanted that. I’m a very loyal person, whether that’s with my tennis or off the court. Or with what I eat. When I find something I like, I stick to it. I eat the same thing every single day. Same salmon every single day. I like those relationships and I think in the past, unfortunately, it hasn’t always worked like this.”

Now, as she gears up for yet another season, it would be interesting to see if any more coaching changes will be witnessed or if Raducanu will continue with her stable partnership with Cavaday.