Emma Raducanu reacts during her Indian Wells opening-round loss. Photo credits: Rob Stone/@RobStoneTennis
And here we go again. Emma Raducanu has a new coach, her 10th since she first took her place on the world stage at Wimbledon in 2021.
A couple of months after that breathless debut (if you remember, she reached the fourth round and then had a fit of the vapors with the stress of it all), she was the US Open champion. This was the stuff of fairytales.
Since then, it has been tough going. A constant battle with injuries, a clear lack of core fitness (she never had the time to build that up before she became a superstar) and no knowledge of how life on the road worked led to loss after loss.
As she sought a solution to her problems, the coaches were hired and fired with increasing rapidity. It was like queuing at the deli counter: take a ticket and wait for your number to called. Half a pound of corned beef and a tub of potato salad later and it was the next bloke’s turn at the counter.
It is no wonder that Vladimir Platenik thought that idea of working with Raducanu was “coaching suicide”. Well, he did when he was first approached by Ian Raducanu, Emma’s father, shortly after her US Open win. Three and a half years later, he thinks this is a perfect time to take the reins of the world No.55’s career as coach No.10.
Their first match did not end well – she was sploshed in straight sets by Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday – but they had only been together for 48 hours by that stage. Thursday didn’t matter.
“A young player takes off with one great result and then has a hard time,” the 49-year-old Slovak told Dennik N, a daily newspaper in his home country. “The public expect her to repeat those results. The pressure is enormous and the players want to succeed so much that they switch [coaches]. That’s why they often get injured.
“Emma also approached me in a similar situation right after a great success, which is why I said it could be coaching suicide. But now she is in a completely different position.”
As fate would have it, Platenik was coaching Lulu Sun when the Kiwi beat Raducanu in the fourth round at Wimbledon last summer. He was due to fly with her to Indian Wells but they parted company last week (Sun’s form had been dismal and the partnership had run its course). The timing, then, was perfect: Raducanu has been without a coach since Nick Cavaday stepped back from the role in January due to health issues while Platenik was suddenly footloose and fancy free.
“[Her father] explained to me that he was looking for a coach who could do [player] development,” the Slovak said. “They have been communicating with me for a long time because they consider me to be that kind of coach.
“Of course, I know that they change coaches often. However, I want to help Emma, and if both parties recognise that I am successful, I believe that the relationship will last longer.”
Many have thought that way (nine others, to be precise) but none have made it work. Still, Platenik has been around the block a few times so he is not expecting miracles in the first week. A former guide to Dominika Cibulkova, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova (top tenners, all), he has great experience and a willingness to let nature take its course. He has agreed to a trial period between now and Roland-Garros (“if it lasts that long,” he added) so he feels he has plenty of time.
“I take it easy,” he said. “I will not push a player into cooperation if it is not going to work. That is why it is right that there is a trial period. Now we will see if my coaching style suits Emma and if my advice helps her. I did not push myself into a long-term contract.
“I see Emma as a talented player who I want to help reach her maximum without thinking about what happened in the past.
“I have a good feeling about her, even though we only train for a short time. I like that she communicates well and asks me for my opinion. This is what I often miss in tennis players. Many expect me to dictate what they should do. However, I prefer to work with tennis players like Emma, who show interest themselves.”
Raducanu has forged her career in reverse. She started at the top with a slam trophy and there is only one way to go from there: down. Now, in her fourth, full season on tour she may just be ready to start working her way back again. If he lasts the course, Platenik could the man to help her do that.
“Emma won a Grand Slam, but she’s been struggling ever since,” Platenik said. “She’s already gone through hell; she’s already been through the worst.
“I really like her because she approaches tennis differently than 95 per cent of the players I’ve coached. She wants to learn, she wants to communicate.
“We sat for an hour and a half watching video last night. We were watching her closest opponent and she kept asking me: “Vlado, what do you think about this?” 95 percent of players don’t have anything like this. I always had to encourage them to do it.
“Technically, she plays decently and it’s really just about the details. About her feeling good and not getting injured. If she can keep training like this for a year, two, three, she can play really well and think about much better results.”
Whether coach No.10 will still be with Raducanu in three year’s time is anyone’s guess. History suggests not as the average professional lifespan of the Brit’s coaches is a little over four months. But if he can do what no one else has done and hang on to his job then Raducanu could be on the right path at last.
And if not, Platenik will at least have got half a pound of corned beef and a tub of potato salad out of the deal. Ticket No.11, please!