Emma Raducanu's carousel of coaches and why doing 'some pretty wacky things' may pay off

A year ago, Emma was sitting A-levels and sitting 12th in the world rankings as she prepared to play in the French Open.

Like many 19-year-olds in their first full year on tour, Raducanu has found wins and fitness hard to come by since the fairy tale of New York.

Unlike most of that position, Raducanu has been able to attract lucrative contracts with eight global brands.

She became more withdrawn from others on tour and struggled with the huge public profile she assumed so quickly. Building a long-term relationship with a coach is not the way to go.

One person with knowledge of the family says that they want someone who can challenge her tennis IQ, and that there are very few people who can do that.

A carousel of coaches

Andrew Richardson was given a contract until the end of the US Open despite his amazing triumph in September, despite the fact that his contract was not renewed by the club.

By the end of April, Torben Beltz had overseen just 10 matches.

The head of women's tennis at the LTA, Iain Bates, traveled with Raducanu to Madrid and Rome this month, but a lot of the technical work has been done by the LTA's senior performance advisor, Louis Cay.

Cayer has been credited with recent improvements to the technique of doubles players like Jamie Murray, Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski. Ian and Emma enjoy Cayer's forensic approach and video analysis.

Perhaps the most significant appointment of the year will be the new hitting partner of Raducanu. Raymond is working with her at the National Tennis Centre in London this week and will be part of the team for the foreseeable future.

The 29-year-old American has been in the world's top 300 and was the hitting partner of the Argentine at Indian Wells last October.

The Raducanu approach to coaching

One person I spoke to recently said that you can't keep going left and right. The fear is that coaches won't be tempted by the short-term nature of any role with Raducanu.

One person does not see it like that.

They drain the resource and knowledge of the coaches quickly, and then they want the next one.

When people do things differently, the world takes a look at it and thinks it's weird because no one has done it before.

I am not that skeptical because I have seen too many people do crazy things that turn out to be goldmines.

A person who knows the family summed up the approach to coaching by the Raducanu family.

They said that if a coach isn't working, it will be done.

I saw how she was playing and was not surprised that she went. She did not feel like she made any improvements.

It is brutal and there will be a trail of coaches by the end of her career.

There is also another side. I have always found them very respectful of people. Ian will investigate them for an hour until they find a piece of gold.

There are very few people who can challenge her tennis IQ. It is difficult for them to understand and digest.

I think they sign up with a coach, and then they get disappointed as they don't know as much as they thought.

The dad who divides opinion

Ian is said to have a constant thirst for information, but also to be obsessed with peripheral detail.

When asked how to describe him, some of the responses were "demanding, analytical, opinionated and personable."

In the past, he has been very hard on his daughter. Some people refer to emotional blackmail and Ian's periods of silence.

Naomi Broady considers strong parental involvement a huge plus because her father Simon has always been the dominant figure in her career.

She said that she and Emma wanted to play doubles over the grass last summer.

Her wrist was a bit sore and her dad said she wasn't going to play doubles.

It was a firm no, and I told Emma that it would be difficult at times, but always remember that every decision he makes will be for you. He will be the only person who will not have to question his motives.

Raducanu can hold strong opinions and is very inquisitive. She will develop greater independence from her father over the course of the next couple of years, but he will remain an influential figure in her career.

I would say that Emma is calling the shots, but he is a very big influence. It is not like she is going to make a decision without discussing it with him, but I do know that she has made decisions that he has not agreed with.

The road ahead

A Grand Slam title at 18 and a world ranking of 12 at 19 opens a lot of doors, but the associated expectation and profile are a heavy cross to bear.

Signing deals with eight blue chip companies brings with it an expectation of performance and a significant number of corporate days.

In the first few months of the year, the US Open champion seemed to be focused on me. She did not always return messages and appeared less responsive to those who went out of their way to make her feel welcome according to testimony.

None of that is surprising. If you remember, in February a 35-year-old man was given a five-year restraining order for making unwanted trips to her family home.

She made her professional debut on the surface after five wins on the clay, and her outlook seems to have improved in recent weeks. She is the fourth most successful teenager in the world based on her results alone.

The hip problem, blisters and back injury that forced her to retire from the Italian Open remain frustrating. As she gets older, she will probably not highlight injuries as much, but they are not uncommon at 888-548-5870.

One insider said that her tennis ability was way ahead of her physical development.

The feeling within the sport is that when her body catches up, she could take a break.