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Emma Raducanu’s coach Mark Petchey has said heavier tennis balls are among things affecting the British number two’s attempts to rejoin the world’s elite players.
Raducanu exited the French Open after being outclassed by five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek 6-1 6-2 in the second round on Wednesday.
The 2021 US Open champion is ranked 41st in the world and has won just one of her nine career matches against top-five players.
“From my point of view, it’s tough on Emma as I still feel everyone is living in 2021,” said Petchey, who has been coaching Raducanu in an “informal” arrangement since March.
“The games have changed massively,” said Petchey.
And exaggerating to make the point about heavier balls, he continued: “The balls are four times heavier than back in 2021 and Emma isn’t the biggest hitter out there.
“If you can’t put the ball through the court on a windy, heavy clay court day against someone like Iga, you’re going to get into all sorts of trouble.”
Petchey, a former British number one, coached an 18-year-old Andy Murray for 10 months helping him break into the top 50 in 2006 and also trained Raducanu during the pandemic summer of 2020.
He is combining his coaching commitments with his work as a pundit for TNT Sports in their coverage of Roland Garros.
Petchey said: “Since I started helping Emma, I said she needs to start closing the gap between the best players.
“She doesn’t need me to sit between 20-50 in the world and, if I’m not the best choice, she needs to find the best choice.
“My mantra to her has been that you are starting your career now. Everyone is judging you on what happened in 2021 but the reality is, I want to see you building a career here where people judge you in two years.”
Raducanu has been without a full-time coach since Nick Cavaday stood down for health reasons in January.
The 22-year-old has previously worked with a number of coaches including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs.
BBC News
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