Raducanu splits with coach after Australian Open exit

British number one Emma Raducanu has split with coach Francis Roig after her exit from the Australian Open.

The 23-year-old lost to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova in straight sets in the second round at Melbourne Park.

Raducanu and Roig – who helped Rafael Nadal win 16 of his 22 major titles – began working together in August.

“Thank you for our time together,” Raducanu posted on Instagram.

“You have been more than a coach to me and I will cherish the many good times we spent together on and off the court.

“While we have come to the conclusion together that we ought not to move forward, please know I am very grateful for all you have taught me and fond of our time shared.”

After her Australian Open exit, Raducanu said: “I want to be playing a different way. I just want to hit the ball to the corners and hard.

“I feel like I’m doing all this variety, and it’s not doing what I want it to do. I need to work on playing in a way more similar to how I was playing when I was younger.”

Some interpreted the comments as friction between the player and her coach. Those rumours were confirmed by sources who spoke to BBC Sport.

Asked at the time if she was on the same page as Roig, Raducanu said: “I didn’t play how I wanted to play because I wasn’t hitting any shot particularly well. It’s tough to take an assessment when you’re completely off.

“Me and Francis have done some amazing work together in the past few months and I’ve improved so many different aspects of my game. I think it’s difficult to say we don’t agree.”

Roig was the ninth person to coach Raducanu since 2021, with Nick Cavaday – her childhood mentor – holding the job for the longest spell.

He worked with Raducanu from 2024 to 2025, but had to step back because of health issues.

The Briton was coached by Nigel Sears when she made her breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2021.

Andrew Richardson was Raducanu’s coach when she won the US Open in stunning fashion as a teenage qualifier, but he only held the position for two months and they parted ways weeks after her Grand Slam victory.