Emma Raducanu split from coach Vlado Platenik after just 14 days, and the Slovakian has now opened up on the problems he encountered when working with the Brit
Emma Raducanu has received a harsh critique of her game following yet another coaching split. The 22-year-old Brit had enlisted Slovakian coach Vlado Platenik on a trial basis earlier this month, but has now ended their partnership after just two weeks.
Platenik was notably absent during Raducanu’s opening-round victory against Sayaka Ishii at the Miami Open on Wednesday, and after her win, the 2021 US Open champion confirmed their separation, explaining that things weren’t moving “in the right direction.”
When questioned about the breakup, Platenik admitted he was “surprised” by Raducanu’s decision and shed light on the issues she’s been grappling with. “We worked a lot on the serve. There was a little problem with the toss… There was also a problem with the second serve,” he told The Times.
“When you saw the match in Indian Wells, she was not able to stay in the rallies… She had very poor footwork.”
Platenik, renowned for his player development expertise, claimed he’d “never seen a player improve so fast” but suggested that the extensive technical adjustments he introduced may have been overwhelming. “I think it’s just too much pressure on her. Maybe my presence was even creating more pressure,” he said.
Despite this, he asserted that Raducanu reacted “really positively” to his approach, as did her father, Ion. “I [have] never seen a player improve that fast in one week, even though obviously a lot of things were new for her,” Platenik said.
“We were discussing and watching a lot of videos. After a couple of days, she was really positive. She said, ‘I’m improving and it’s getting better.’ She also had very good sparring [hitting] sessions. I was thinking, ‘OK, she gets it, she understands it.'”
However, comprehension alone hasn’t been enough for Raducanu, who has struggled to handle the intense scrutiny that has followed her stunning Flushing Meadows victory three-and-a-half years ago. Platenik believes their collaboration simply came at the wrong time for her, particularly since he was trying to improve multiple aspects of her game at the same time.
“It was a very short period, and she was really getting it very fast, which proves that she’s super talented. But she needs to feel comfortable,” he stressed. “I think me, you, or anyone else can’t truly understand what’s happening inside her head or the psychological burden she’s dealing with.
“I just hope she took something away from our time together and can build on certain aspects I introduced to her.” He added: “It’s all about timing. It’s about the mental state of the player, and unfortunately, it just didn’t work out.”
Raducanu is now on the hunt for her eighth full-time coach in under four years. Her pattern of frequently switching trainers has been widely criticised, with many arguing that the instability has prevented her from developing consistency and momentum.
However, Raducanu has maintained that she doesn’t actively seek frequent coaching changes and sees herself as “a loyal person.” She told the Daily Mail: “It has never been my philosophy to chop and change coaches.
“I’ve never wanted that. I’m a very loyal person, whether that’s with my tennis or off the court. In the past, unfortunately, it hasn’t always worked like this, but that is my intention, and whether things happen that way is not necessarily something I can predict or control.”