Emma Raducanu believes she has found the right balance with her new coach, Francisco Roig, describing their partnership as the “perfect fit,” while also urging the other Grand Slam events to follow the US Open’s lead with its revamped mixed doubles format.
Roig, who spent nearly two decades working alongside Rafael Nadal, officially joined the Briton’s team after Wimbledon. Their trial period quickly paid dividends, with Raducanu’s run to the Citi Open semi-finals providing a promising start. That was followed by solid showings at the Canadian Open, where she bowed out to fifth seed Amanda Anisimova in round three, and at Cincinnati, where she came agonisingly close to upsetting world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set thriller decided by razor-thin margins, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5).
Speaking ahead of her US Open campaign, Raducanu shared how seamlessly Roig has blended into her setup. “I think we get on really well, I think we fit great,” she told Sky Sports. “He is so experienced, and we have been doing a lot of hours on the practice court, which I think has been helping me, and we both like spending time on the court, which is a good thing. But he also knows when to have fun and switch off, and that’s important. It is not just constant seriousness. We work, but we also laugh.”
Her new coach is not the only source of excitement in New York. Raducanu made her debut in the US Open’s modernised mixed doubles draw, teaming up with world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz. Although they fell to Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula in straight sets, 4-2, 4-2, Raducanu believes the format — designed to spotlight top singles players and condensed scoring — deserves a permanent place across all four majors.
“I think it would be so fun if all the Slams got involved and did something similar, even if it was not the exact same format,” she said. “I think it was a huge success. I think so many fans got involved, so many people watched and tuned in. It got a lot of attention. I think it was a great idea. And, yeah, I had a lot of fun on the court playing with Carlos.”
For her singles campaign, Raducanu opens against Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara. Should she advance, 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova looms in the second round, with a potential blockbuster clash against Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina likely in the third. It is a testing draw for the 21-year-old, who has not won a singles match in New York since her unforgettable title run in 2021 against Leylah Fernandez.
Reflecting on the contrast between then and now, Raducanu admitted her outlook has shifted. “I think compared to four years ago, I feel relaxed, I feel happy, I feel in a way like the same off court in terms of just enjoying my tennis, enjoying practising, enjoying competing, and the process of getting better,” she explained. “I think I feel the same in that sense. But I am just more aware now of everything that is possible. When I won in ’21, I guess about this world of potential negativity and bringing people down. I’d say that kind of affected me a lot in the last few years. It still definitely gets me from time to time, but overall I think I can enjoy what I’m doing day to day a lot more, I have good people around. I’m just happy that I’m in this place with my tennis.”
Currently sitting just outside the top 30, Raducanu is less than 200 ranking points from that milestone, a reachable target given her low tally to defend from last year. With the US Open as her stage, the Brit has both momentum and motivation to climb back into the higher echelons of the WTA Tour — and perhaps rewrite the story of her return to Flushing Meadows.