2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu has added coach Dmitry Tursunov to her coaching staff ahead of the US Open, per The Daily Mail. Raducanu, 19, started the season with coach Torben Beltz but decided to end their partnership in April.
After taking some time to decide her next coach, Raducanu has decided to hire Tursunov – who most recently worked with second-ranked Anett Kontaveit. Tursunov, who retired from professional tennis in 2017, has built a solid reputation as a coach on the WTA Tour.
Tursunov helped Kontaveit and Aryna Sabalenka break into the top-5 and his record speaks for itself.
Raducanu needs stability
Raducanu has made several coaching changes over the last 12 months and tennis pundits all agree that the 19-year-old needs some coaching stability.
Around this time last year, Tursunov started working with Kontaveit. Kontaveit went on to have a great end to the season and their partnership was an instant success. Raducanu will certainly be hoping Tursunov also helps her elevate her game as she is desperate to clinch some notable results.
At Wimbledon, Raducanu suffered a straight-set defeat to Caroline Garcia in the second round. Raducanu has been struggling with her game all season long and she is not really given much of a chance to defend her US Open title.
When Raducanu was asked whether she’s feeling pressure going into the US Open, she pretty much laughted it off. “There’s no pressure,” Raducanu said. “Like, why is there any pressure? I’m still 19.
Like, it’s a joke. I literally won a slam. Yes, I have had attention. But I’m a slam champion, so no one’s going to take that away from me. If anything, the pressure is on those who haven’t done that. Going back to New York, it’s going to be cool because I have got a lot of experiences playing on big courts, playing with people in the stadium, playing with the spotlight on you.
I don’t mind that. I mean, for me, everything is learning. I’m embracing every single moment that is thrown at me.” Raducanu is set to compete at the Citi Open in Washington next week.
