Emma Raducanu has received some very interesting information as world No. 9 Ons Jabeur reveals she would probably be interested in working in some capacity with the Briton in the future.
Raducanu, who is 21 years old, became a Grand Slam champion very early in her career but has also worked with six different coaches over the last three years. After Raducanu won the 2021 US Open in a historic way and decided to split with coach Andrew Richardson, many were left shocked and stunned at her decision.
Since then, Raducanu has worked and split with three other coaches while she is currently working with her childhood coach Nick Cavaday, whom she hired before launching her post-surgery comeback at the start of the 2024 season.
Now, three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur – who is 29 years old – has made herself available to work with Raducanu. However, Jabeur highlighted that if that was about to happen, she would probably not serve as the main coach but rather as a consultant or an advisor.
“I would say Emma Raducanu,” Jabeur said on Eurosport.
“I have a good relationship with her and I think I can help a little bit with some advice. I mean I would not be the main coach, I would be the consultant I guess, a new job. Emma if you’re hiring, I’m available.”
Ons Jabeur © Getty Images Sport – Matthew Stockman
What Raducanu said about Jabeur earlier this year?
Earlier this year, Raducanu and Jabeur met for the first time on the WTA Tour when they clashed at the Abu Dhabi Open. But it actually wasn’t their first-ever meeting as they also played against each other in an exhibition match in late 2022.
And speaking to reporters before their Abu Dhabi meeting earlier this year, Raducanu shared that she has been speaking with Jabeur from time to time and that the three-time Grand Slam finalist was mentoring her in some ways.
“I really like Ons, she’s someone who’s kind of taken me under her wing as I’ve been new to the tour,” Raducanu said of Jabeur before their Abu Dhabi match.
Emma Raducanu © Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
After Jabeur claimed a 6-4 6-1 win over Raducanu in the Abu Dhabi round-of-16, she made sure to let everyone know that it wasn’t an easy battle. Also, Jabeur spoke very highly of Raducanu’s game and potential, which may be the reason why she would like to work with the 21-year-old in the future.
“Well she didn’t make it easy for me. Obviously Emma is such an amazing player, I really wish her all the best and I know she can play much better so I’m a big fan of her. I’m looking forward to seeing her win more matches. Not against me but against other players,” Jabeur said of Raducanu after their Abu Dhabi match.
“I mean, Emma had an amazing experience at the US Open and everybody I think followed her and she has an amazing career. Everybody has a different story but we struggle a lot, we go through a lot of things but we try to make it here. I’m so proud to be part of the WTA, a lot of amazing women play on the tour.”
What’s up with Raducanu’s current coaching situation?
After splitting with Nigel Sears in the summer of 2021, Raducanu brought in Richardson, who guided her to her maiden Grand Slam title but then got dumped. During the 2022 season, Raducanu started with coach Torben Beltz and also worked with Dmitry Tursunov in the second part of 2022. In 2023, Raducanu worked with coach Sebastian Sachs before undergoing multiple surgeries and also putting an end to their partnership.
Going into the 2024 season, many were interested in seeing how Raducanu would address her coaching situation and if she would go for a big-time coach. But instead, Raducanu decided for some comfort and hired coach Cavaday, who worked with her during her junior days and has a very good relationship with her family.
“I mean I’ve known him (Cavaday) for a long time so it’s the familiarity aspect, it’s very nice. I feel we just work in the same way,” Raducanu said of working with Cavaday in March.
“I think a lot of coaches wouldn’t really understand the way that I like to operate and a lot of players wouldn’t understand how he likes to operate so I think we’re very complimentary of each other.”
Emma Raducanu and Nick Cavaday © Getty Images Sport – Matthew Stockman
So far in her comeback, Raducanu has looked well and she has definitely made some improvements in her game – which means that she has been doing a good job with coach Cavaday so far.
Currently, Raducanu is preparing for the grass season, which she plans to kick off on June 10 in Nottingham.
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