‘I was surprised’ – John McEnroe reacts to Emma Raducanu decision ahead of French Open in Paris

Eurosport expert John McEnroe, speaking ahead of the French Open, has admitted that he was “surprised” over Emma Raducanu deciding to part ways with her former coach.

Andrew Richardson replaced Nigel Sears after last year’s Wimbledon, but despite Raducanu’s unexpected success under his stewardship at the US Open, his contract was not renewed.

The British star is now competing without a full-time coach, but McEnroe said he did not always believe in having that within his camp as a player either. He does, though, think it was a surprising move ahead of Roland-Garros.

“I didn’t believe in a full-time coach either so it really depends on the player,” McEnroe said.

“These days, it seems every player has a coach and I don’t recall who it was when she won the US Open, but I must admit I was surprised they parted ways after she won that.

“It was an incredible shock for her to win that. I’m not sure where she is physically or mentally right now.

“She obviously did something spectacular at the US Open and you would try to, in some ways, replicate what she was feeling at that time to allow her to play freely.

“That’s a lot harder now because the expectations are a lot higher so she has to find a group that can get her comfortable and allow her to train in a way that she understands is good for her and be able to go on the court and feel some type of joy and happiness playing.

“That’s the trick. But there is no way to do that or understand how to do that unless you understand the person. That’s the job of a coach or people around her to get her to a place to do what she does best.”

Speaking ahead of Roland-Garros in her pre-tournament press conference, Raducanu spoke about what she is learning in regards to her body and the stresses and strains of competing on the tour.

“I’m learning about my body, for sure, and I’m very happy to be continuing my preparations for the French Open and to be able to play this tournament,” she said.

“It was definitely thrown into question. But at the end of the day, I’m just learning, feeling it out. I got the all-clear to continue with preparations and see how things go.

“Last week after Rome I definitely had to slow down that week, but this week I have been training and luckily being able to practise all of the shots.

“It feels good to be able to move freely and just like run around. You know, it’s quite fun.”

The 18-year-old US Open champion will face qualifier Linda Noskova in her opening match in Paris, then take on either Aliaksandra Sasnovich or Wang Xinyu in the second round if she can progress through her opening challenge in Paris. Looking further ahead, the Brit could face a tough match against Ons Jabeur in the last 16.

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