With her US Open title defense just around the corner, Emma Raducanu has added Russian coach Dmitry Tursunov to her team on a trial basis.
The world No.10 Raducanu seems to have solved her coaching situation, for now, even though the new partnership with the former coach of Aryna Sabalenka and most recently Anett Kontaveit is somewhat controversial. There are some concerns that this cooperation between a British player and Russian coach could be used as a propaganda tool for Vladimir Putin. Namely, Chris Bryant MP, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Russia, has urged Raducanu to abandon plans to team up with Tursunov at this moment.
As Eurosport reports, Raducanu will launch her partnership with Tursunov as she makes her Citi Open debut in August. If everything works out, they will continue to work together through the North American swing, including during the teenager’s title defense in New York, and possibly even beyond.
The last time Raducanu had a coach was in April, when she split with Torben Beltz citing a need to “transition to a new training model.”
UPDATE: Raducanu’s cooperation with Tursunov was just short-term.
Emma Raducanu says this week (and last week) with coach Dmitry Tursunov is on a trial basis, and won’t be continuous; she said Tursunov already has preexisting commitments for Toronto next week.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 31, 2022
