Chris Evert has given her verdict on Emma Raducanu’s new coach, Mark Petchey.
Having joined the Brit’s team for the Miami Open, there was some confusion about the nature of his role given the 54-year-old had previously been embroiled in media duties.
When it was revealed that he would split his time between them and coaching, even more scepticism emerged.
However, thus far few can complain about the progression Emma Raducanu has made under his watch, with Chris Evert the latest to offer her verdict on Petchey.
Chris Evert speaks about Emma Raducanu’s coach
Speaking to The Express, the American tennis legend covered a whole host of topics regarding Raducanu.
From her fitness issues to her recent return to form, eventually she had to mention the coaching situation.
After all, it is one which has plagued the 22-year-old for years now, failing to nail down a consistent team to help her progress.
Focusing on Petchey, Evert admitted: ‘I think she’s playing better with Mark Petchey. I think he’s very knowledgeable, how can he not be?
Emma Raducanu’s coaching history
| Coach | Hired | Dismissed |
| Nigel Sears | April 2021 | July 2021 |
| Andrew Richardson | July 2021 | September 2021 |
| Torben Beltz | November 2021 | April 2022 |
| LTA training model | April 2022 | July 2022 |
| Dmitry Tursunov | July 2022 | October 2022 |
| Sebastian Sachs | November 2022 | June 2023 |
| Nick Cavaday | January 2024 | January 2025 |
| Vladimir Platenik | March 2025 | March 2025 (trial period) |
| Mark Petchey | April 2025 | Present |
‘But I think I’ve seen some good matches from Emma. I think she seems to have the mental part of the game and the emotional part of the game. She seems to have that.
‘She seems to be more settled, and she seems to really know what her goals are and she seems to know what she needs to work on and what her strengths and weaknesses are. She has a very good awareness of her game, and she knows what to do.’
Has Emma Raducanu improved under Mark Petchey?
Although it has only been a short union, it’s hard to argue against Petchey’s influence.
After all, Raducanu has made great strides since they joined forces, aided by a really strong run in Miami where she reached the quarter-finals.
More recently reaching the Round of 16 in Rome, there’s cause for serious optimism within her camp despite Raducanu’s worrying fitness update issued just yesterday.
So, with the French Open looming, the hope is that she can enjoy another solid run to boost her rankings and potentially push her towards a seeded spot for Wimbledon.
Since Petchey took over, Raducanu has risen from 60th to 43rd in the world rankings.
