The Tennis Coaching Merry Go Round

[ti-amie]

Emma Raducanu’s tie-up with Johanna Konta coach Esteban Carril
October 18 2021, The Times

Emma Raducanu’s search for a new coach appears to be close to a conclusion. The 18-year-old is in discussions with Esteban Carril, the former mentor of Johanna Konta, about a trial with the view to forming a permanent partnership if it is successful.

Raducanu and her support team have spent the past three weeks seeking a replacement for Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to US Open glory before being told his services were no longer required because he lacked experience on the WTA Tour.

After her early exit at the Indian Wells Open ten days ago, Raducanu issued an unusual plea through reporters for potential candidates to get in touch with her. Now it has emerged that Carril is in line to join her team before her return to action at the Transylvania Open in Romania next week.

Carril, 44, certainly has the necessary qualifications. The Spaniard is best known for helping Konta make her breakthrough in 2016, when she reached the Australian Open semi-finals and entered the world’s top ten. He has also assisted other British players, including Katie Swan and Jay Clarke.

Carril is a likeable and respected figure within the British game and helped some of the country’s most promising prospects during a brief spell at the LTA’s national academy in Stirling. He had a modest playing career, reaching the top 300 in doubles and top 500 in singles.

Raducanu was due to return at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow this week but removed her name from the entry list last Thursday because of a “schedule change”. This gives her the chance to spend time with Carril on the practice court in London before flying out at the weekend to Romania, the home country of her father, Ian.

If the trial with Carril is successful, then it is hoped by figures within British tennis that the partnership lasts for some time. Raducanu already has a reputation at such a young age as someone who does not offer job stability for her coaches. Like Richardson, Nigel Sears was laid off shortly after helping Raducanu reach the last 16 on her Wimbledon debut during the summer.

The uncertainty did not help Raducanu before her first match as a grand-slam champion in Indian Wells. Despite receiving some assistance on site from Jeremy Bates in his role as the LTA’s national women’s coach, she lost in straight sets to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, the world No 100.

Although Raducanu departed the Californian desert earlier than expected, the tournament provided yet more optimism for the British game moving forward. Cameron Norrie was on court overnight for his first ATP Masters final, against Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, safe in the knowledge that he had done enough to secure entry to the world’s top 20 for the first time today.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/emma ... -wg0308vl8

[ti-amie]

Raducanu and her support team have spent the past three weeks seeking a replacement for Andrew Richardson, the coach who guided her to US Open glory before being told his services were no longer required because he lacked experience on the WTA Tour.

Wasn't the original story that he was always only going to be temporary?

[JazzNU]

FYI, In recent days I've had tennis articles suggested by Google that Michael Joyce was basically warning coaches to be careful about signing with her because of her treatment of past coaches and the blame that could be put on them if she doesn't almost win the Aussie Open and what that could do to their reputation, as well as one that said the asking price of the top coaches was out of her reach, like potentially her father was unaware of what came with a coach with "a lot of tour-level experience."

[Deuce]

Yes, I'm sure the Raducanu family are terrible people who treat people horribly...

Sigh...

People who say such things do so to get attention (Michael Joyce, etc.).
I haven't heard any of Emma's former coaches utter one word of complaint.

[ti-amie]

None of them will say a word because they work for the LTA in some shape form or fashion. I've been wondering what was wrong because you'd think coaches would be banging on the door for a chance to coach a young woman who came through qualies to win the USOpen. Instead she gets a guy who's claim to fame is getting Konta to play well five years ago, and Boulter and someone else whose name I forget.

I think the Raducanu's made a big mistake in letting Richardson go the way they did. Who is going to want to sign on to have their brains picked and then get kicked to the curb? Until this news Raducanu's fans were confident Cahill was going to come on board. I said here and elsewhere he wouldn't for the reasons I stated.

Coaches talk among themselves. All sports are gossipy. There is something toxic within her camp but no one, so far, has said what it is.

[Deuce]

I think any claims of 'toxicity' within the Raducanu 'team' are grossly unfair.
Until someone comes out with verifiable facts that prove that's the case, it's all speculation and gossip. And that's simply not fair to them.

Yes, they've gone about things differently than most. So what? Everything I've read/seen indicates that they were upfront about their plans and that the coaches knew going in that this would likely be a temporary assignment.

Emma's no dummy - and I figure her parents aren't, either. They all are doing what they feel is best. I figure they know what's best better than any outsider does.

I don't like the gossip that uses words like "ruthless" and/or says they "kick to the curb" or "spit out" coaches, and/or that they thus treat coaches badly. It's simply not fair to make such accusations when there are absolutely no facts to support it.

There are countless articles too sensationalistically stating that the renowned Nigel Sears (Andy Murray's father in law, for those who don't know) and Andrew Ricchardson were "ruthlessly" dismissed as Emma's coaches. But very few articles mention that Sears has been a consultant with Emma since she was 15 years old. He obviously knew Emma and her family.
But words like "ruthlessly" sell more advertizing, and it's sad that most don't seem to care if there's actually any degree of truth to it or not.
Andrew Richardson, as well, worked with Emma previously - from ages 11 - 14. He obviously knew the family, as well - and I would say likely stayed in contact with them to a degree, which is why Emma brought him to the U.S. Open with her.

So here we have 2 coaches - Andrew Richardson and Nigel Sears - who both knew Emma and the family when they were asked to help her at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, respectively. If the Raducanu environment were as “ruthless” and “toxic” as some people claim, do you honestly think that those two coaches - who both have plenty of experience with Emma as well as with other players - do you honestly think they would have embarked if the environment were troublesome and/or if the family were 'ruthless'? I doubt it very much.

It’s bad enough that some media people - and a few others who seem desperate for attention - are portraying Emma and her family in a very unflattering light - with no evidence to support their claims and accusations. It would be nice if we would refrain from stooping to that level here.

[JazzNU]

None of them will say a word because they work for the LTA in some shape form or fashion. I've been wondering what was wrong because you'd think coaches would be banging on the door for a chance to coach a young woman who came through qualies to win the USOpen. Instead she gets a guy who's claim to fame is getting Konta to play well five years ago, and Boulter and someone else whose name I forget.

I think the Raducanu's made a big mistake in letting Richardson go the way they did. Who is going to want to sign on to have their brains picked and then get kicked to the curb? Until this news Raducanu's fans were confident Cahill was going to come on board. I said here and elsewhere he wouldn't for the reasons I stated.

Coaches talk among themselves. All sports are gossipy. There is something toxic within her camp but no one, so far, has said what it is.

I never thought Darren was remotely in the mix as her coach. That seemed like wishful thinking of the highest order by her fans and people just playing mix and match due to sudden availability.

From what I can tell, in addition to letting Richardson go, one of her team's other biggest missteps is going to be that the coach they've described that they want, they already had just a couple of months ago and they ditched him. One with a long and great relationship with the LTA but also well known and respected throughout the sport. And now you've got this former Konta coach who people barely know, which seems like a certain downgrade from how they were talking about the experienced tour-level coach they wanted. And that guy, I hope he's up to the task and well compensated because based on the years I saw mentioned in the article, pretty sure he's the one Konta ditched after her first really successful year on tour before Wim became her coach.

[ti-amie]

I would accept the "it was only temporary" story if they hadn't changed it to now be that they wanted someone with WTA tour experience. I would also accept the temporary spin if they hadn't settled for a man who has limited success at the top and not one of the marquee names.

[JazzNU]

I would accept the "it was only temporary" story if they hadn't changed it to now be that they wanted someone with WTA tour experience. I would also accept the temporary spin if they hadn't settled for a man who has limited success at the top and not one of the marquee names.

There was also no temporary language before and during Wimbledon for Nigel Sears in a single thing I heard or read. He was out there signing her praises and potential, and not a word about it was temporary or consultant or anything. That all came later, especially after the US Open and firing the last coach as they seemed to come up with a different narrative when they realized it wasn't playing that well publicly. They've definitely been working on re-framing the coach search, but as I said, their terminology makes even less sense when you consider Nigel.

[Deuce]

I think you'd have to ask Nigel that. And I've heard nothing negative from him. Nor from Andrew.
And, as I mentioned, they knew the Raducanus going in - they've both known the family for a long time.

You two seem insistent on jumping on the sensationalistic 'ruthless' bandwagon, though, painting Emma and her family in a bad light despite the glaring lack of evidence, as well as ignoring the fact that the two coaches in question have a long-standing relationship with the family.
I find that quite unfortunate.
And very unfair.

[JTContinental]

Svitolina and her coach are splitting up

[ti-amie]

Svitolina and her coach are splitting up

[ponchi101]

Maybe indeed not a bad decision. She needs somebody that can teach her how to hit with more power, a very difficult thing to do.
He will be picked up by somebody else. They have been successful and that is a good CV.

[JazzNU]

A little shocked. I could see them getting back together in a couple of years a la Kerber and Beltz. Elina's got a team with great energy that seem to really get along amazingly well and it doesn't always work when you try it with someone else. Guess we'll see.

[ti-amie]

To paraphrase the British show "The Avengers", mmmm8 you're needed.