Emma Raducanu’s collaboration with coach Vladamir Platenik has come to an abrupt end after only 14 days and a single match together. This unexpected split was confirmed by her management team on Wednesday.
Platenik joined Raducanu on a trial basis just before the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Unfortunately, during that tournament, Britian’s No. 2 player suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Moyuka Uchijima. It was her first match back since dealing with disruptions from a stalker incident in Dubai.
Fast forward to the Miami Open, Raducanu kicked off her campaign with an impressive 6-2, 6-1 win over Sayaka Ishii. Notably absent from her support box was Platenik.
Following the victory, a spokesperson from Raducanu’s management at IMG stated: “Emma and Vlado have decided to go their separate ways. Emma holds Vlado in high regard and appreciates the foundation they tried to build. However, they felt it was not progressing in the desired direction. Emma is keeping her focus on performing well here in Miami and is on the lookout for a new coach.”
Remarkably, Raducanu is on the hunt for her eighth coach in under four years. Her previous coach, Nick Cavaday, worked with her for a year before stepping down post-Australian Open in January, citing health issues.
Platenik, whose coaching resume includes working with top-10 players like Daria Kasatkina and Dominika Cibulkova, was initially supposed to assist Raducanu through to the French Open in May. Despite his departure, Raducanu did not miss a beat against Ishii, setting the stage for a showdown against world No. 10 Emma Navarro.
“It’s going to be an extremely challenging match,” Raducanu remarked in her on-court interview. “She’s probably in better form, so I can go out and express myself and try and compete for every point.”
