Emma Radukanou hasn't been able to get close to her US Open win since her triumph. Photo: Getty Images/Al Bello
Five-time world champion Martina Hingis has criticized Emma Raducanou's decision to part ways with the coach who helped her win the 2021 US Open.
Just weeks after her crowning moment in New York at the age of just 18, Radukan decided to end her relationship with Andrew Richardson – the coach who helped her win the title – and has not regained stability since.
Radukan, now 20, has since appointed three full-time coaches — none of them have lasted longer. more than six months – and a long time without a steady person to turn to.
Hingis knows a thing or two about the tour as a teen champion, as she was once the most prolific prodigy in the world. She became the youngest ever Grand Slam champion at the age of 16 at the 1997 Australian Open and later that year became the youngest ever World No.
She won all five of her major singles titles before she turned 20. In her opinion, Radukan's decision to mess with her team right after she was in the spotlight was the wrong choice.
“You know, if you have the right environment, I think that's also very important,” Hingis told reporters at Wimbledon on Tuesday. “I mean, I have never met [Radukana]. It was incredible that she was able to win the US Open and all the changes that followed, maybe, who knows? I don't think it was the best choice.
“I mean, when you win with someone, you usually keep going, but I can't judge what happened. But it will be nice to see her success again. I mean, she has a chance, she has everything she needs. But you still need the results, it's not like you win the US Open one day and that's it for the rest of your life. There are so many girls who can play well, who are hungry. I hope she succeeds, but it won't be easy.”
Martina Hingis has won five Grand Slams, including Wimbledon in 1997 Credit & Copyright: Action Images/Jason O'Brien
Radukan has not been able to back up her US Open win with consistent results over the last two seasons, in part because of how precarious her fitness has been. She is currently rehabilitating her wrists and ankles after three surgeries and will not be able to return to tour until the fall.
She is doing this without a coach at her camp since Radukanu broke up last month. from his last coach, Sebastian Sachs, after less than six months of working together. He followed the short tenures of Torben Balti (six months) and Dimitri Tursunov (three months).
In an interview with The Sunday Times last month, Radukanu spoke of the distrust she had during the tour for being used as a “piggy bank” after her success. She said she is now “on guard” and admitted that she sometimes wishes she “never won the US Open” due to the fact that she is now in the spotlight.
Since that victory almost two years ago, Radukan has had no shortage of observers to influence her decisions. Eighteen-time world champion Chris Evert has previously questioned Radukan's “radical” coaching situation, and this week Belarusian Victoria Azarenka – a two-time Australian Open champion – also said the UK's golden girl needs to “not forget the people who brought her to” success.
“When Emma [Radukanu] won the US Open, I noticed that everyone latched on to her as if she were their friend, and I thought they probably didn’t even know her a month ago. It didn't feel very real in a way,” Azarenka said, speaking on the Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast.
“It's sad to hear her say that sometimes she wishes she never won. USA. Open, but I think it's a very fleeting feeling, because if you told her, “Okay, we'll take it and you can continue,” I'm not sure if she would agree to it. I think the advice I would give her is that you should not forget the people who brought you to this point and helped you get there. Based on my experience, I would say that she needs a very small and very strong circle.
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