'he Fixes What Needs Fixing' - Why Raducanu Turned To Nadal's Ex-coach

Emma Raducanu has hired a caller coach.

It is simply a condemnation which we person heard respective times since nan 22-year-old Briton emerged from obscurity to triumph nan 2021 US Open title arsenic a teenage qualifier.

But nan assignment of Francisco Roig – a wily Spaniard who helped Rafael Nadal triumph each of his 22 Grand Slam titles - feels for illustration a longer-term stake arsenic Raducanu looks to proceed her upward trajectory.

Going into adjacent week's US Open - their 2nd tourney together - nan world number 35 is hoping Roig tin return her moreover higher.

"Francis is nan champion coach I worked pinch by far," erstwhile Spanish number 2 Feliciano Lopez, who worked pinch Roig for respective years, told BBC Sport.

"He's diligent but besides demanding. He will push you until immoderate he thinks needs fixing is fixed."

Everyone you speak to astir nan 57-year-old Catalan says nan aforesaid point early successful nan speech – that his method knowledge is unparalleled.

Shortly aft he stopped moving pinch Lopez, Roig linked up pinch Nadal successful 2005 arsenic a 2nd coach down his uncle Toni and helped nan swashbuckling left-hander go an all-time great.

When Roig near nan squad successful 2022 for a different challenge, erstwhile world number 1 Nadal hailed nan erstwhile ATP Tour subordinate for making him "better and better".

"Francis is simply a very bully coach and a man who tin thief Raducanu to amended technically - he puts a batch of attraction connected this," Toni Nadal told BBC Sport.

"In today's crippled each subordinate hits nan shot very fast. But successful nan extremity tennis is astir powerfulness and power - erstwhile you deed nan shot accelerated without a bully method it is difficult to put 5 aliases six balls wrong nan tribunal successful a row.

"This is what Francis explains to players. I deliberation he tin thief Raducanu to go a very bully tennis subordinate again."

Having missed nan bulk of nan 2023 play pursuing operations connected wrist and ankle injuries, Raducanu has steadily rebuilt her career.

The revolving doorway of caller coaches has slowed down and different full-time assignment was ever a privilege aft Nick Cavaday stepped backmost successful January because of wellness reasons.

Since Mark Petchey plugged nan spread connected an informal ground successful March, Raducanu has reached a WTA semi-final successful Washington, positive nan Miami and Queen's quarter-finals.

Looking relaxed and happy, she has climbed backmost to nan cusp of nan world's apical 30 and played immoderate of her champion tennis since that memorable fortnight successful New York 4 years ago.

Now Raducanu feels Roig tin adhd different furniture to complement nan expanding resilience she has discovered this year.

"I tin decidedly amended connected nan value of a batch of my shots," Raducanu said.

"I've been bully astatine being creative, scrapping, playing nan large points well, but nan wide value of my crippled needs to beryllium better."

Lopez says Roig achieves that by utilizing unsocial coaching drills, which are "practical" and "specific", pinch his players.

That comes aft he identifies method issues by study alternatively than nan request for forensic video analysis.

"His eyes are special," adjacent friend Jordi Vilaro, who has known Roig for much than 40 years and co-owns nan BTT Academy successful Barcelona pinch him, told BBC Sport.

"He tin spot things different coaches can't spot successful a 1000th of a 2nd - they possibly request video aliases slow motion.

"Every subordinate who trains pinch him for an hr plays amended tennis. Win aliases suffer is different thing, but they deed nan shot amended and cleaner."

With Petchey making it clear he was unwilling to sacrifice his domiciled arsenic a tv commentator to coach connected a full-time basis, Raducanu continued to measure her options.

Roig's readiness came to attraction complete nan summertime and nan brace worked together successful a covert proceedings pursuing Wimbledon.

Raducanu likes to study and erstwhile put her precocious turnover of coaches down to asking "provoking" questions. She recovered Roig's sessions to beryllium stimulating, challenging and instantly encouraging.

"Francis is very passionate for tennis," said Vilaro.

"What's astonishing is he tin watch a lucifer connected TV and he doesn't attraction astir nan consequence - he's checking really they are moving, nan positioning and really they are hitting nan ball. He's watching galore circumstantial things.

"When we created nan academy he said, 'I want to do it but I don't want immoderate paperwork. I conscionable want to beryllium connected nan court'. The tribunal is his passion."

Raducanu has already impressed Roig pinch her activity ethic.

In his first tourney astatine nan helm, nan brace had aggregate regular practices astatine nan Cincinnati Open, wherever she confidently breezed past Serbia's Olga Danilovic earlier – much notably – pushing world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka to her limit.

While Raducanu fell short of a shock, it was a promising capacity which provides optimism for nan US Open.

"I said to Francis aft Raducanu hit Danilovic and earlier she played Sabalenka," said Vilaro.

"He said, 'It's amazing, I for illustration moving pinch this subordinate a batch because she loves to beryllium connected court. We spent 2 hours training nan return, nan return positive 2nd changeable and what to do erstwhile nan force attacks'.

"He enjoyed it a lot. The astir important point for him is having a subordinate who loves being connected tribunal - and it looks for illustration this is nan case."

In nan early portion of her career, Raducanu became infamous for hiring and firing a drawstring of full-time coaches.

Over nan past 2 years, moving pinch a tight-knit group - led by group she trusts successful Cavaday and Petchey - has been a amended blend.

Raducanu did not fare good pinch outsiders entering nan soul circle aft her US Open title and it feels for illustration building a beardown enslaved pinch Roig will beryllium imperative to a successful future.

"Francis is simply a very bully person, he is simply a man who you tin beryllium relaxed pinch and he is funny," Toni Nadal said.

"It is important erstwhile you are pinch personification pinch a bully character, I deliberation that is overmuch better.

"But to alteration personification who utilized to do 1 point is difficult. What I explicate to nan players - I explicate elemental - is that if you are happy pinch your level and ranking don't alteration anything.

"If you are not happy past you person to alteration thing - thing emotional, tactical aliases technical.

"But usually you request a small clip and I deliberation Raducanu has to springiness a small clip to Francis."

Judging by nan smiles successful a mixed doubles believe convention pinch Carlos Alcaraz and his squad astatine Flushing Meadows connected Tuesday, Raducanu and Roig look astatine easiness successful each other's company.

The brace person already spent tons of clip together successful Cincinnati, wherever agelong roadworthy trips to nan tourney saw Roig taking driving duties.

Lopez still described Roig arsenic 1 of his "best buddies", while Roig's enslaved pinch Nadal led to nan brace going sportfishing and playing play and shot together distant from nan court.

"There are a batch of things which awesome coaches request to person - to beryllium bully technically, a bully scientist and a bully person," added Lopez.

"He has sewage each these qualities."