Emma Raducanu has been putting in some time on the courts with Andrew Richardson ahead of the 2026 Italian Open.
She’s chosen to get ready for her first clay-court tournament of the season by spending time at the Ferrer Academy in Spain, hoping to turn things around after a slow start to her WTA season.
Richardson, now tennis director at the academy, was also Raducanu’s coach during her remarkable run to the 2021 US Open title. However, their time working together didn’t last long beyond that tournament.
This latest training block with Richardson is only a short-term arrangement. There are no plans for an extended coaching stint through the clay-court season this year. It’s more of a focused session rather than a return to their previous partnership.
Rennae Stubbs says Emma Raducanu working with Andrew Richardson is a ‘good move’
Stubbs shared her thoughts on the move, speaking about Raducanu’s approach to coaching and the potential benefits of reconnecting with Richardson.
“I think the most difficult job in the world is coaching Emma Raducanu, because she has a very short rope,” Stubbs said on The Rennae Stubbs Podcast.
“So we’ll see. I clearly think it’s a good idea. He did wonders for her to win the US Open. He seems like a very chill guy. Maybe he gets her better than most because he’s known her so long, known her since a young age.
“And listen, I know Emma personally. She’s a great young woman, she’s fantastically educated, great to talk to, very smart.
“But at the same time she has to give someone time. But I think she knows this guy so well from such a young age that I think it might work for her because she’ll settle into it a little bit more and stop trying to pretend to be a player that she’s not.”
Looking ahead in Rome, if Raducanu reaches the third round, she could face Coco Gauff, Yulia Putintseva or Tereza Valentova.
Emma Raducanu’s most recent trip to Rome
Raducanu is defending 120 WTA ranking points this year, having made the fourth round of the Italian Open last season.
Last year, she came through the early rounds with wins over Maya Joint, Jill Teichmann and Veronika Kudermetova before running into Gauff.
The match didn’t go her way, with Gauff taking control from the start and winning in straight sets.
“It was super windy, especially like in the second set,” Gauff said after beating Raducanu 6-1, 6-2. “It definitely did play a big part. I’m from Florida, so I’m used to kind of dealing with it, working with it.
“Sometimes you have to learn to just let go with the wind, know that you just have to kind of move that extra step. Some points aren’t going to be won in pretty ways, which a lot of points towards the end were won in ugly ways.
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