Emma Raducanu’s 2026 season has commenced with significant turbulence, marked by early exits and major struggles against higher-ranked opposition. Following a disappointing second-round departure from the Australian Open and a mixed performance in other tournaments, the British No. 1 faces renewed scrutiny regarding her ability to challenge the top-ranked women, including Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and others.
Amid these challenges, her former coach has offered technical guidance to revitalize her game and address the areas that hinder her progress against top-tier rivals.
Mark Petchey’s Advice for Taking on Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Others
Raducanu’s 2026 campaign began on a difficult note at the United Cup in Perth, where she lost 3-6, 6-3, 1-6 to Maria Sakkari, after withdrawing from her opening match against Naomi Osaka. She then traveled to the Hobart International to gain some momentum, but was bested by Australian wildcard Taylah Preston 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals despite being the top seed.
Her struggles continued at the first Grand Slam of the year, as she lost to Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (3), 6-2 in Melbourne, exposing a lack of intensity in her play that prevented a clash with World No. 1 Sabalenka.
While she reached the final in Cluj-Napoca, she again lost her rhythm, losing 0-6, 2-6 to Sorana Cîrstea in the championship match. Addressing these inconsistent performances, Mark Petchey provided technical advice to the British No. 1. “She needs to stay up on the baseline. She needs to be able to redirect, and she needs to serve well. And if she can put those components on the court, she’s going to give herself a chance to win big matches,” Petchey advised, pinpointing the exact adjustments required to compete with powerful baseliners.
Petchey considered the positive side, noting the ranking points she earned, but said her overall level needs to be elevated. “I thought she did well to kind of get through the draw. I don’t necessarily feel as though her tennis was where it needed to be,” he assessed. He emphasized that she must take her time to work on her skills and challenge the big-hitters.
“I think she’s got a good 3-4 weeks of hard work to get her tennis back to where you would like to see her be in terms of being able to challenge those big hitters, which has obviously been in recent times the stumbling block for her. And there is still work to do to put that piece of the puzzle back together so that she can feel very comfortable with what she’s doing out on the tennis court,” Petchey stated, highlighting the demands of professional tennis.
“I would think that she will feel as though her tennis needs to go up quite a few gears if she’s going to suddenly get back out on the court with Sabalenka and Rybakina,” Petchey concluded, summarizing the need to step up her gameplay.
Emma Raducanu’s Concerning Status on the WTA Tour
The concern about Raducanu’s trajectory is heightened by her statistical record against top players. The 23-year-old has found it increasingly difficult to beat power players like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, as evidenced by the head-to-head record. If we take a look at the current top-four women on the tour, Raducanu has lost all 12 matches against them, including 3 against Sabalenka, 5 against Świątek, 2 against Rybakina, and 2 against Gauff. What’s even more concerning is that 6 out of these 12 meetings are from 2025.
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Raducanu’s inability to consistently make deep runs at tournaments was starkly highlighted when she reached the semifinals of the Transylvania Open. A social media account posted that this was only the fifth tour-level semifinal of her entire career, a statistic that underscores her inconsistent form since her breakout US Open victory in 2021.
This statistic prompted a blunt response from tennis legend Boris Becker, who asked, “That’s it?” His response reflects the wider confusion within the tennis community regarding how a Grand Slam champion has struggled to replicate deep tournament runs.
