Emma Raducanu: Marion Bartoli urges British star to take a leaf out of Aryna Sabalenka’s training book

Former Wimbledon champion and Sky Sports commentator Marion Bartoli has urged Emma Raducanu to take a leaf out of Aryna Sabalenka’s training book by staying with the same trainer for a long time.

Sabalenka became the fifth woman in history to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’, beating Coco Gauff at the Miami Open finaltwo weeks after that to claim the Indian Wells crown.

He has benefited greatly from having a stable team behind him, winning multiple Grand Slam titles and reaching No. 1 in the world.

The 27-year-old has been working with coach Anton Dubrov, a fellow Belarusian who has tasted success with him since 2020, fitness coach Jason Stacy, hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski, and his girlfriend Georgios Frangulis.

The addition of Max Mirnyi, a former Grand Slam champion compared to a mixed champion, has given his wisdom by adding variety to his game since last August, especially in the game and volley.

Raducano He split with Francisco Roig after his loss in the second round at the Australian Open.

He is enjoying strong form as he works with Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey in early 2025 on a temporary arrangement, but hired Roig in August as he searches for a new permanent coach.

After a six-month period in which he endured disappointing results, Roig, who previously coached Rafael Nadal, became the ninth coach since Raducanu won the 2021 US Open, with the pair performing well but not adapting to the style of play.

His next tournament in Romania saw him reach his final since winning New York in 2021, and since parting ways with Roig, Raducanu insisted he was happy to work with his partner Alexis Canter, the 27-year-old former British player who reached a career high of 779 last year.

Raducanu kept Canter as part of his organization, as well as working with Petchey at Indian Wells. She will next appear in Upper Austria Ladies Linz, which will take place from 6-12 April, live on Sky Sports Tennis.

Speaking in Miami, Bartoli said: “For Emma to keep changing coaches is a difficult thing because she needs to have some stability.

“If you look at the training system, Sabalenka has had the same coach for such a long time and I think Emma is trying to find the right one!”

Bartoli added: “I strongly believe he will need to find someone he can trust long-term if he wants to improve.”

Martina Navratilova, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, asked Raducanu to choose her next coach carefully and most importantly – give them time.

“I mean, I don’t know what the coach’s record is – maybe six months! So, I wish he would really choose whoever he wants to be his coach very carefully and stick to it,” said the former world No 1.

“Give it a year because it takes time to get comfortable making changes and being able to include someone in your game.

“The biggest thing I see is I think he can improve so much that the coach has nothing to do with it, but you know, the coach can only do so much.

“Choose the right coach and stick with him, please!”

Henman: Raducanu requires more physical stability

Sky Sports pundit Henman thinks Raducanu should focus on working on her body to match fellow Grand Slam players Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff.

“It was highlighted in the match against (Amanda) Anisimova,” said the four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist.

“He will never be a great soccer player like Anisimova and the body he brings to the court is obviously intimidating, like these players above. But that’s where I think Raducanu needs to be stronger physically. He needs more physical stability so that he doesn’t get small injuries that take him off the court. They stop him from building speed on the court.

“You can still do a lot of physical work on the court, whether it’s two-on-one when you hit and move and build that physical strength to be stronger, faster, hit the ball harder, serve more. If I could point to one place, it would definitely be training.”

‘Lights that never dim’

Raducanu is ranked world No. 28, but Henman believes the British star has the ability to break into the top 10.

“I think we all appreciate and understand and see how good he can be,” Henman said of Raducanu, who stunned the world by winning the US Open as an 18-year-old player.

“If he can continue to add these pieces to the game, there’s no reason why he can’t get into the top 20 and knock on the door of the top 10.

“It makes sense however we move away from the US Open tournament, that vision will not fade.

“He’s a great athlete, but when he stretches, he can’t handle the force coming at him and return and that’s where the gym work comes in.”

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