“When Covid hit, they went to work together, in private in the UK, so he knew her before she became a star,” the ex-American pro Jim Courier said last month, talking about Emma Raducanu’s new part-time coach, Mark Petchey. Courier added that Petchey was the best coach Raducanu could have hired at this point in time, and it’s proving true! Since rejoining Raducanu’s camp, Petchey has brought a renewed spark to her game, with improvements being quite noticeable from the Miami Open itself, where Raducanu made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Jessica Pegula. Now, as Emma continues to thrive on the red clay of Italy, she’s relishing an ‘unexpected perk.’ What’s that?

Raducanu recently showcased her growing confidence on red clay with a dominant second-round performance at the Italian Open, defeating the Swiss lucky loser Jil Teichmann 6-2, 6-2. The British No. 2, who only discovered she would face Teichmann a few hours before the match, handled the late change with poise. 

After securing her first outdoor clay win in nearly three years at the Madrid Open, Raducanu has now strung together back-to-back victories in Rome, marking her debut appearance in the tournament’s last 32. Following the win over Teichmann, the Brit shared an insightful detail about the presence of her new part-time coach, Mark Petchey. 

In a post-match chat, Tennis Channel’s host Prakash Amritraj playfully brought up Raducanu’s part-time coach Mark Petchey. “I know he’s on your team. He’s been very influential. You can tell us, has he been useful at all? Has he contributed?” he asked with a sarcastic smile. The Brit didn’t miss a beat and responded with a clever jab of her own.

“I’m not biased, but I love, I love hearing him commentate,” Emma replied with a grin. “I think he’s a great commentator, someone that I actually want to listen to, because sometimes I watch tennis and I have to mute it, with him I love hearing what he has to say, he’s very interesting,” she further chuckled. 

Shifting into a serious tone then, the 22-year-old acknowledged Petchey’s valuable role since rejoining her camp. “He’s obviously helped me a lot with everything, with the tennis, with the off court, with everything. So yeah, we did some really good work as well in LA, you know, while he was with TC. And yeah, I’m really happy with how it’s kind of going,” Raducanu added. This partnership has seemingly played a role in her renewed confidence on clay.

However, some former aces aren’t sure a part-time arrangement is ideal. British tennis player Daniel Evans voiced skepticism recently, questioning the practicality of Petchey’s dual commitments. “It can’t last if she starts losing matches and Petchey is in the commentary box. That’s not going to work. I think Emma will be looking for a new coach again pretty soon if she starts to lose some matches on the grass into the US swing. I’m not sure how that can last as it is,” Evans remarked.

Emma Raducanu, however, has a clear and composed response to those concerns. “It’s been working pretty well. Mark is doing his commentary work and around that he is going to help me as much as he can and hopefully the times align that he can be there with me in the matches,” she said.

To support this balance, Raducanu also revealed that Jane O’Donoghue, a former LTA national women’s coach is on hand. “That’s why Jane is here for when he’s not able to make it to the session,” she said while talking to the BBC. 

With her team structure clearly defined, Raducanu seems content and focused as she aims to build on her recent clay-court success.

Emma Raducanu’s honest confession after she advanced to R32 in Italy

Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrew from Rome just before her match against Raducanu, leading to the cancellation of the match. The Brit later learned during her warm-up that she would instead be playing Jil Teichmann, a lucky loser from qualifying.

“I mean, to be honest, it was pretty mental,” Raducanu revealed while talking to Sky Sports. “I was warming up for my match against Alexandrova and I was practising with Mirra and all of a sudden I get told I’m playing Jil and then on top of that she’s a lefty so it is a complete different challenge.”

She also added, “I honestly haven’t practised much with a lefty, haven’t played one since [Marketa] Vondrousova in February in Abu Dhabi. It was a challenge and first few games I was adjusting to how the ball curls but I’m really proud of myself how I fought through,”

The British ace now faces Veronika Kudermetova in round three. Could the rising form and Petchey’s guidance help her book a spot in the R16?