EMMA RADUCANU has hired former Rafael Nadal mentor Francisco Roig as the eighth coach of her career.
The Brit has been working with Mark Petchy over the last few months but his broadcast commitments meant the partnership was never going to be a long-term one.
Now Roig is on board and set to team up with Raducanu at the Cincinnati Masters, where the 22-year-old is aiming to pick up enough wins to get herself a seeding for the US Open.
Roig, 57, is vastly experienced having worked with Nadal throughout his career.
He was No2 coach for the Spaniard for all 22 Grand Slam wins, working alongside his uncle Toni.
Raducanu’s team began discussions with Roig over him coming on board during Wimbledon, according to the Mail.
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A trial began soon after the Championships but Roig was unavailable until this week due to other commitments.
Roig has built a reputation as a top technical coach and he also worked with former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berretini between 2023-24.
His appointment also marks a move away from Raducanu surrounding herself with a close circle of people who knew her before her 2021 US Open victory.
The last time she ventured down that avenue earlier this year when she appointed Vlado Platenik, who lasted just 14 days.
Raducanu had previously worked with a wide range of coaches including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson – who was in charge during her run to the title in New York – Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs.
Now Roig will have to earn her trust and iron out a few kinks in her game to help Raducanu continue her recent good form and climb up the rankings.
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