Renowned coach offers to make Emma Raducanu ‘bulletproof’ and help her win ‘again and again’

Emma Raducanu zoned in

Esteemed tennis coach Rick Macci has offered to work with Emma Raducanu and vowed he could help her win “again and again” and make her “bulletproof.”

The American, a former coach of tennis legend Serena Williams, declared Raducanu “should want pressure” and has to learn to deal with the challenges that come with being a top player.

Macci has worked with five players who achieved the world No 1 ranking in their careers: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. The 68-year-old also coached WTA Major champions Mary Pierce, Anastasia Myskina and Sofia Kenin.

Raducanu missed most of this year due to injury and underwent surgery on both her wrists and her ankle in May. The 2021 US Open champion played just 10 matches across five tournaments in 2023 and posted a 5-5 record.

The 21-year-old suffered an ankle injury which forced her to retire during her second round match in Auckland in January in her first event of the year. She then lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Coco Gauff, before next competing in Indian Wells almost two months later.

The Brit achieved her best result of 2023 in Indian Wells by winning three matches to reach the last 16, where she was beaten by Iga Swiatek. She was then beaten in the opening round in Miami to Bianca Andreescu, before losing to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April in her most recent match.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Macci spoke about how Raducanu has struggled to deal with expectations following her stunning US Open breakthrough.

“She should want pressure. You do all this training to be a professional player and want to be the best in the world. She has to be able to deal with what comes with that,” he said.

“She must be prepared to deal with the media. To say she sometimes wishes she didn’t win the US Open because of the mental and physical strain it has brought cuts both ways.

“If she’s going to listen to every little thing that is said about her then that doesn’t work, you’ve got to be bulletproof and I can help her with that. You need an ability to forget just as importantly as the ability to remember and she must learn from the adversity she’s faced.

“It can be good to have time out to reflect, as Naomi Osaka did before she was pregnant after success early in her career. But working on areas such as footwork and technique takes time, building confidence takes time.

“She’s maturing and by having time out she can see who is maturing around her, what she expects of them and what she expects of herself. The good thing is she’s very young and this a long-term process, it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.

“It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. I know when you qualify and then win a Grand Slam without losing a set you’ve got something special between the ears – and much of the game is played between the ears.

“She must have a mature mindset and it’s so important to get the right people around her. If she wants to be up there with the best in the world you have to be all in, or you’re going to be out.”

In a post shared on Twitter / X, Macci backed Raducanu to return to the top 10 in two years if she fully commits mentally in her comeback.

“Was asked about Emma Raducanu during an interview. If she is locked, loaded and ready to launch mentally then she 100% can be in the top ten again by the end of 2025. You do not lose the skill but you 100% need the will,” wrote the American.

The 68-year-old then reiterated his desire to coach the former world No 10 and revealed he had spoken to her agent.

“During a podcast [I] was discussing Emma Raducanu and helping her. I talked to her agent and told him I can help her team but I am not a travel coach. I assist many players and coaches on both tours and if this young lady is mentally all in, I can help her win again and again,” added Macci in another tweet.

Raducanu is expected to make her return to action early in 2024, but is yet to confirm her comeback tournament.