Raducanu reinstates Richardson as full-time coach ahead of Strasbourg and Wimbledon

Emma Raducanu has formally reunited with coach Andrew Richardson on a full-time basis, ending a period of significant coaching instability for the British tennis player. Richardson, who guided Raducanu to the 2021 US Open title as an 18-year-old qualifier, will accompany her at the upcoming WTA clay-court tournament in Strasbourg and at Wimbledon.

The partnership follows a short training session earlier this month at the Ferrer Tennis Academy in Spain, where Richardson serves as tennis director. Raducanu, currently ranked 37th in the world, has been granted a wildcard for the Strasbourg tournament as she seeks match practice before the French Open begins on 24 May.

Raducanu is returning to competitive play 10 weeks after losing to Amanda Anisimova in the third round at Indian Wells on 8 March. Her absence from the tour was caused by a post-viral infection, which has also resulted in her slipping to world number 37. This ranking means she will miss out on a top-32 seeded position at Roland Garros.

The decision to reinstate Richardson comes after Raducanu parted ways with coach Francisco Roig following her second-round exit from the Australian Open in January. She has not won a WTA title since her major victory in 2021 and has cycled through several other coaching appointments, including Nick Cavaday and Mark Petchey, who have known her since childhood.

While the split between Raducanu and Richardson in 2021 was initially portrayed as a natural conclusion to his contract, Richardson later disputed that narrative, indicating he would have been happy to continue. Raducanu told BBC Sport she was grateful to reconnect with someone who has known her for over a decade and is looking forward to building their partnership one iteration at a time.

It remains unclear how long the full-time arrangement will last beyond Wimbledon, but the move signals an attempt to revive the winning formula that saw Raducanu win the US Open without dropping a set. The British number one has previously expressed a desire to return to the aggressive, fearless style of play she exhibited during her breakthrough season.