Emma Raducanu’s recent resurgence at the Miami Open has sparked conversations around her future trajectory, but former British No. 1 Tim Henman believes the focus shouldn’t be fixated solely on her coaching carousel. Instead, he argues that her physical condition and ability to stay injury-free will be the real game-changers in her pursuit of consistent success on the WTA Tour.
Raducanu, who famously captured the US Open title in 2021, put on her most convincing display since that unforgettable run in New York. In Miami, she not only reached her first WTA 1000 quarter-final but also notched an impressive win over top-10 player Emma Navarro. Even in her eventual exit — a tightly contested three-set battle with Jessica Pegula, who went on to finish runner-up — Raducanu showcased grit, variety, and poise, suggesting she’s back knocking on the door of elite-level tennis.
Though her Miami campaign raised eyebrows for all the right reasons, it also began with yet another coaching switch — parting ways with Vladimir Platenik after just one match at Indian Wells. She reverted to familiar ground, reuniting with Jane O’Donoghue and Mark Petchey, a pair who helped shape her early tennis journey and appeared to bring a sense of balance and belief to her game in Miami.
While there are whispers that Petchey might reprise a longer-term coaching role — depending on his broadcasting obligations with the Tennis Channel — Henman remains unconvinced that locking down a coach is priority number one.
“She does it differently. She changes coaches. That isn’t necessarily what everyone else likes to do, but she is comfortable changing that up,” Henman said during an appearance on Sky Sports Tennis. “For me, building physical resilience is most important because she has almost had her career back to front. Qualifying and winning that Slam without the foundation physically and her body was breaking down when she was in competition. The big positive this year is she has been able to compete more consistently and hopefully the results are going to come.”
Henman emphasized that while Petchey may bring value, his limited availability poses practical challenges. More importantly, Raducanu’s physical evolution seems to be the missing link in her progress — one she appears to be working hard on, both on and off the court.
“Petch is working for the Tennis Channel and has a commitment to working for them. It will be interesting to see what Emma’s next move is,” Henman added. “When she talks about having fun and being authentic, that gives her the opportunity to express herself on the court. She played some brilliant tennis in this tournament. She has been looking to build that momentum on the match court and it’s great that she has competed a lot more this year after Australia.”
Henman also pointed to her movement — both in offense and defense — as one of the standout features of her Miami performance. The improvements she’s making with her physical trainer are clearly starting to translate into match sharpness.
“The results haven’t been there, but when you are putting in that hard work [on court] and in the gym with her physical trainer, I thought her movement both offensively and defensively looked fantastic. The turning point was the Emma Navarro match, which she won 7-6 in the third. To beat a top 10 player in that fashion would have given her a lot of confidence. The four wins she had will give her a lot of belief moving forward.”
Echoing those sentiments, tennis icon Martina Navratilova chimed in with her own take, expressing optimism about Raducanu’s prospects — provided she can stay healthy and find stability in her team setup.
“If she stays healthy and plays this well, then she’ll be seeded at Roland Garros,” Navratilova noted on Sky Sports Tennis. “I think she’ll move up the ranking well enough into the top 30. The biggest question mark is her health. Hopefully she can sort out her coaching situation because she’s been in a state of flux, but I think she needs to commit to somebody and stay with them for a little bit, see how that works. If she played like she did against Pegula, then the sky’s the limit.”
While coaching remains a hot topic, the real narrative surrounding Raducanu is one of rebuilding — a slow but promising road back to the upper echelons of women’s tennis. If she continues competing regularly, steers clear of injuries, and finds a groove on the court, 2025 might well be the season she roars back into the top 10 conversation. For now, the foundation is being laid — one match, one win, and one step at a time.