Emma Raducanu spotted training with former coach ahead of return to tennis

Emma Raducanu has not yet started her clay-court season as she’s still recovering from an illness she picked up in the Middle East.

The Brit last played at Indian Wells, where she was beaten by Amanda Anisimova, managing to win only two games in a one-sided match.

Looking ahead to a return in Rome, Raducanu is said to have brought back the coach who helped guide her to her US Open title.

Emma Raducanu spotted training with Andrew Richardson in Spain

On a recent episode of ‘The Tennis Podcast’, Catherine Whittaker passed along an interesting update.

“We have been contacted by a Tennis Podcast listener who tells us that they have seen Emma Raducanu training with Andrew Richardson, the coach with whom she won the US Open in 2021,” she said.

David Law also commented on how unexpected this news was when it reached him.

“We were told where this took place, where she was seen practising with Andrew Richardson in Spain, and this information does tally with where we understand where Richardson is based for a few years now, basically since he finished coaching Emma Raducanu, coaching his son as the head coach there.

“We have not had this information confirmed and also even if it is confirmed we don’t know if it’s a meaningful development, other than they may just be practising together for a bit.”

Law explained what happened when he tried to get clarification from Raducanu’s camp.

“I did put it to Raducanu’s representative a couple of times in messages over the last week, just to ask if it was accurate and see if there was any comment on it, and I have not had any response to it, despite them seemingly being read,” he said.

Can Raducanu make an impact at the Italian Open?

Raducanu is expected to enter the tournament as the 27th seed, assuming she’s ready to play.

The Briton has featured at the Italian Open twice before, first in 2022 and then again in 2025.

In her debut appearance four years ago, Raducanu retired from her match against Bianca Andreescu while trailing 6-2, 1-2.

She returned last year looking to improve and did just that by winning three matches to reach the fourth round.

Her run ended there though, with a heavy defeat to Coco Gauff (6-1, 6-2).

With three wins and two losses in Rome, it stands as one of her stronger WTA 1000 events so far.

This year, she’ll be aiming to push beyond that fourth-round barrier when play gets underway next week. The tournament starts on Tuesday, May 5th.

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