The past few weeks have been quite frustrating for Emma Raducanu. After suffering an early exit at Indian Wells last month, the British No. 1 was ruled out of the Miami Open due to a viral illness that she had encountered earlier this year in February. Raducanu’s absence is to continue, despite initial expectations of her return to action as soon as the clay-court season begins.

Raducanu has withdrawn from another tournament, and this time it is the Linz Open. Her team has confirmed that she still hasn’t fully recovered from the illness. The 23-year-old is prioritizing a complete recovery before commencing her clay season. Raducanu hopes to participate in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, a WTA 500 event scheduled in Stuttgart from April 13-19.

The viral illness has resulted in a period of uncertainty for Raducanu, who has now withdrawn from two big tournaments. Even though the Brit has had a history of injury problems, it appeared that her fitness had improved after she had completed a half-century of matches last year. For context, this was the first time in her career that she had played that many matches. However, the fitness issues have resurfaced, making the season even tougher for her.

So far, 2026 has been a tumultuous year for Raducanu. She started the year positively, reaching the quarterfinals at the Hobart International. However, Anastasia Potapova knocked her out in the second round of the Australian Open, winning 6-7, 2-6. It was after this defeat that she decided to part ways with coach Francisco Roig, who didn’t even spend six months in her team.

However, Raducanu didn’t bring in any replacement for Roig and instead continued to work with her hitting partner Alexis Canter. She looked to be back on track in the Transylvania Open, where she made her first final appearance since the 2021 US Open. But her wait for a title continued as Sorana Cîrstea defeated her 6-0, 6-2 in the penultimate match.

Next came the Qatar Open, where fitness issues led Raducanu to withdraw from her first-round clash against Camila Osorio at 2-6, 6-4, 2-0. The Dubai Championships weren’t any better for her, as a second-round exit is what followed, this time to Antonia Ružić by 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. Her struggles in the Middle East proved that she needed a proper coach on her team, and that is when she decided to bring back Mark Petchey ahead of Indian Wells.

Petchey had formerly worked with Raducanu in the summer of 2020 and had reunited with her in 2025 before the Miami Open. However, this appointment didn’t really go as planned, and the disappointing results continued for her at Indian Wells. A one-sided 1-6, 1-6 defeat to Amanda Anisimova saw the World No. 28 crash out in the second round once again. She is yet to make a return to the court since this match.

Raducanu hasn’t been able to showcase the same form that she did back in 2021 when she was just 18. She just hasn’t been good enough since that year, and this has led to a string of early exits in most of the major tournaments. While the reasons for Raducanu’s poor performance may be subject to debate, 18-time Grand Slam winner Martina Navratilova attributes it to her frequent changes in coaching.

Martina Navratilova’s blunt verdict on Emma Raducanu’s coaching changes

Raducanu has so far worked with nine coaches in her career, but none of them have lasted beyond a season. Addressing this issue, Navratilova advised the Brit to pick a new coach and stick with him/her for some time.

“I mean, I don’t know what’s the record for a coach- maybe six months! So, I wish that she would really pick whoever she wants to be her coach carefully and then stick with it,” Navratilova said, speaking to Sky Sports.

The WTA champion further said that rather than focusing too much on her coach, Raducanu should instead try to improve her fitness.

“Give it a year because it takes a while to be comfortable with making changes and being able to incorporate the person into your game. The biggest thing I see, I think she could get fitter, which the coach has nothing to do with, but you know, the coach can only do so much. Pick the right coach and stick with him or her, please!” she added.

Raducanu is without a coach as of now, with Petchey being absent due to his broadcasting duties for various networks. She has decided to continue with Canter for now.

Will Raducanu take Navratilova’s advice and decide to bring in a new full-time coach before commencing her clay-court season? Let us know what you think in the comments!