Emma Raducanu Texts Andrew Richardson To Rehire Coach After Axing Him Post-2021 US Open

Emma Raducanu has revealed she reached out to coach Andrew Richardson via text to rekindle their player-coach partnership after she had axed him following her 2021 US Open win as a teenage qualifier ranked at No. 150 in the world.

Raducanu said, "He's someone I've known for a very long time, over a decade," adding that she has "a great chemistry" and that the relationship was "evident every time we worked together."

BBC

She and Richardson reunited at the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg earlier this week, and Raducanu said the partnership will last for the rest of the year as she goes into the French Open almost five years after her last Grand Slam tournament together with him.

Raducanu described how she wanted to return "in a really authentic way" after a break because she got sick, and said, "Yeah, reached out."

The BBC later reported that Raducanu initiated the move by sending Richardson a text and said he "doesn't care about the noise and is really good at centring me."

John McEnroe backed Emma Raducanu’s decision to rehire Andrew Richardson after he had branded their original split "nonsensical."

McEnroe said, "I was amazed that she got rid of the coach in the first place," and added, "Why the hell would you get rid of your coach a couple of weeks or a month after you won the US Open?"

BBC

The Independent said Raducanu opted to dispense with Richardson immediately after her US Open triumph because she felt she needed someone with WTA Tour experience, and it noted that she has since had a succession of short-term appointments.

talkSPORT reported that Raducanu made her comeback on Tuesday, May 19 at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, where she lost 4-6, 6-7 to Diane Parry in the first round of the clay court event in preparation for the French Open.

talkSPORT also said Raducanu will play Argentina’s world number 88 Solana Sierra in her first round match at Roland Garros on Monday, May 25, with start time and court not confirmed yet.

As Raducanu prepares for the French Open, the BBC said she starts her campaign against Argentina’s Solana Sierra on Sunday, and it described her as blighted by injuries and illness in recent years.

The BBC quoted Raducanu saying, "Everything in my life changed upside down," and she added that she values "having people I trust and connect with around me."

talkSPORT said the main draw for women’s singles gets underway at Roland Garros on Sunday, May 24, and it reported that Raducanu is 37th in the WTA rankings and will not be seeded at Roland Garros.

talkSPORT also said Raducanu’s injury return follows the news that she has re-hired coach Andrew Richardson, and it noted that her former US Open champion had not been on court since losing to Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells on March 8.

The BBC said Raducanu resisted the temptation to skip the clay-court major and quoted her saying, "Putting the miles in the legs on the dirt will help me for next year's clay-court season" as she arrived at Roland Garros having barely played in the past three months.