Emma Raducanu ‘splits with coach’ after just 14 | Sports News

Emma Raducanu appears to have parted methods with Vladimir ‘Vlado’ Platenik after just one match collectively.

The former U.S. Open champion had introduced that the Slovakian coach would be part of her staff on a trial foundation at Indian Wells merely two weeks in the past. He was current during her first-round defeat to Moyuka Uchijima however was noticeably absent from her box during her victory on the Miami Open on Wednesday.

This development follows an uncomfortable interview given by Platenik to Slovakian media, during which he claimed to have turned down two earlier presents from Raducanu, citing it might have been “coaching suicide.” Since parting methods with Nick Cavaday in January, Raducanu has but to secure a fulltime coach.

Before her inaugural match in Indian Wells a fortnight in the past, Raducanu revealed she can be working with Platenik on a trial foundation. The 49-year-old coach has beforehand labored with Daria Kasatkina, Dominika Cibulkova, and Veronika Kudermetova.

He was additionally half of Lulu Sun’s staff when the Kiwi participant defeated Raducanu at Wimbledon final 12 months. However, their collaboration started on a bitter observe when Raducanu misplaced to Uchijima within the first spherical, with Platenik observing from her box.

Following the match, the British No. 2 acknowledged it was too quickly to touch upon their partnership. “We haven’t necessarily done that much yet, because he arrived very, very recently. So it was the day before the match where we don’t necessarily want to, like, change anything,” she mentioned.

“So we haven’t actually started, I’d say, like, proper work. Yeah, from how I have met him, he’s very serious, he’s very professional, gets on with it. So yeah, we’ll see how it goes.”

But just two weeks into their trial, during Raducanu’s first-round match in Miami, coach Platenik was notably absent. Instead, LTA coach Colin Beecher and Jane O’Donoghue, one of Raducanu’s longstanding mentors, had been current within the Brit’s box, alongside with her fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura.

While Raducanu’s staff has not formally confirmed the top of her partnership with Platenik, the Slovakian coach raised eyebrows when he revealed that he had beforehand declined two presents from Raducanu and her father, Ian.

“Emma also approached me in a similar situation right after a great success (in late 2021), which is why I said it could be coaching suicide (to work with her). But now she is in a completely different position,” he instructed Slovakian newspaper Dennik N.

“She’s already gone through hell, she’s already been through the worst. She had a great year last year and they did a good job with her last coach. He left at his own request due to health problems. Today she’s more mature than [at the time of] the previous offers.”

Before teaming up with Nick Cavaday for the 2024 Australian Open, Platenik was on Raducanu’s shortlist. “I wrote to Ian to ask if they had anyone, as I knew their interest in me was more long-term. Her father wrote back that they didn’t have anyone and would like to try working with me,” he defined.

Despite Raducanu’s historical past of often altering coaches – she cycled via six in just two-and-a-half years – Platenik remained optimistic about a lasting partnership.

He added: “They (the Raducanu family) have been communicating with me for a long time because they consider me to be that kind of coach. Of course I perceive that they change coaches often. However, I want to help Emma and if both parties recognise that I am successful, I believe that the relationship will last longer.”

However, after solely two weeks collectively, their collaboration seems to have ended. Despite Platenik’s absence, Raducanu appeared unfazed in Miami, defeating teenage wildcard Sayaka Ishii in 66 minutes to advance to the second spherical.