EMMA RADUCANU to appoint a Russian coach in a controversial move.
The 19-year-old US Open champion will try to defend her title at Flushing Meadows in a month’s time.
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And she could risk the ire of many by turning to Dmitry Tursunov as her next new trainer for the North American swing.
As reported by the Daily mailthe British star will be joined by Tursunov next week at the Citi Open in Washington DC.
And depending on how their first collaboration goes, Tursunov could keep up Raducano during this part of the season that culminates in the US open in New York City.
However, the 39-year-old’s nationality could raise eyebrows, especially among Wimbledon chiefs.
The All England Club banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from this year’s championships as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, the ATP and WTA stripped the ranking points in response.
Tursanov, who reached a career high of number 20 in the world and won the Davis Cup with Russia, moved to the United States at the age of 12.
He retired from playing in 2017 and has enjoyed a successful transition into coaching, placing Anett Kontaveit in the top five of women’s football. tennis.
The seven-time ATP Tour title winner has also teamed up with Aryna Sabalenka, Aslan Karatsev and world doubles No. 1 Elena Vesnina.
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Raducanu has been without a full-time coach since then split with Torben Beltz in Aprilinstead tapping into the wisdom of Louis Cayer, Iain Bates and Jane O’Donoghue.
She previously got rid of Nigel Sears after her breakthrough to the fourth round of Wimbledon 2021, after which Nigel Richardson’s contract was not renewed despite the oversight of the sensational fairytale in New York.
Now after fight for form and fitness in 2022the Kent teen will be desperate to return to her best partnership with Tursunov.
And she will have to be ready for his hard and direct approach to coaching.
Tursunov – who once hid Roger Federer’s racket bag before a match – told tennismajors.com in January he said: “With a lot of players they are just not willing to hear the truth.
“They want to hear that maybe the problem is with the racket or the grips, or maybe with their mother or their father and it takes a certain maturity and self-awareness to admit to yourself that there is a problem.
“So that’s the first step: being honest with the player and saying, ‘If you hire me as a coach, you’re asking for my opinion.’
“So if I give my opinion, it’s the player’s decision to use it or not. I don’t care, I get paid somehow!”
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