Emma Raducanu’s former coach, Mark Petchey, has recently expressed his strong loyalty to her, despite working with her for only a short time last year. The World No. 29 has begun her 2026 season under coach Francisco Roig, who had previously coached Spanish legend Rafael Nadal, and has till now played at the Hobart International and the Australian Open.
Mark Petchey Reveals the Reason for Split From Emma Raducanu
Raducanu has returned for the 2026 season after an offseason marred by a foot injury that derailed her training. She began her new season at the United Cup, marking her debut in the mixed-gender tournament’s fourth edition.
She then entered the Hobart International as the top seed, reaching the quarterfinals, where she lost to Taylah Preston, 6-2, 6-4. Raducanu had defeated Camila Osorio in the round of 32, and in her Australian Open campaign, she overcame Mananchaya Sawangkaew, adding her first two wins. The British star concluded her run with a second-round defeat to Anastasia Potapova.
The Toronto, Ontario, native, who turned professional in 2018, has faced frequent coaching changes in her career and, for a short duration, worked with Petchey, who had previously coached ATP icon Andy Murray, taking him from World No. 351 to No. 41.
Petchey, the former player turned coach, recently revealed the reason for his departure from Raducanu, further highlighting his loyalty and the professional relationship they still maintain.
He had mentioned on The Big T podcast, “Emma and I never fell out. I mean, it just got to the point where I felt like I couldn’t be the number one coach. I’m happy for her. I feel as though, listen, we still chat, we’re still in good communication, she’ll still run some stuff past me, I’ll help her forever, I’ll take a bullet for her.”
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During his interview with OLBG last year, Petchey, who won a single doubles title during his career, which was cut short due to injury, aged 28, in August 1998, shared his hopes that the 23-year-old is able to find success with Roig, expressing, “I think it’s really a great opportunity for her to work with somebody like Francisco who has worked with one of the best players of all time.”
He continued, “To have time alone with Francisco, to work on the stuff is a golden opportunity for her and him to try to take her game to the next level where she’s going to be able to win Grand Slams. I think they’ll be a great partnership. I’m super happy for her and I’m super excited about her potential.”
Raducanu’s coach, Roig, served as Nadal’s alternate coach from 2005 until 2022 and was also the coach of Italian star Matteo Berrettini from December 2023 to October 2024.
