Emma Raducanu has made another change in her coaching staff, ending her association with a coach after only one match.
Vladimir ‘Vlado’ Platenik was taken on for a trial period of three months, starting at the Indian Wells Open last week. Raducanu was defeated in the first round of that tournament.
However, Platenik was not present in Raducanu’s support team at this week’s Miami event.
The 49-year-old Platenik was absent from Raducanu’s corner as she progressed to the second round in Florida, securing a convincing 6-2, 6-1 victory against Sayaka Ishii of Japan.
This win marked the first victory for the British No.1 since she addressed a stalking incident at the Dubai Tennis Championships last month.
For Raducanu, currently ranked No.60 globally, this was her first ever win at the Miami tournament, achieved on her third attempt.
Since childhood friend Nick Cavaday stepped back from the role earlier this year due to health reasons, the former US Open champion has been without a consistent coach.
Platenik’s departure means Raducanu, at 22 years old, will now be seeking the eighth coach in her relatively short professional career.
It has been reported that Platenik gave an interview in his native Slovakia where he mentioned turning down approaches from Raducanu’s father on two occasions in the past three and a half years.
He reportedly described the potential job as “coaching suicide”.
Platenik stated: "Emma also approached me in a similar situation right after a great success [in 2021], which is why I said it could be coaching suicide."
He did express some optimism about her current situation, adding, "But now she is in a completely different position. She’s already gone through hell, she’s already been through the worst.”
It was anticipated that they would utilize the time leading up to the French Open to develop their coach-player relationship.
However, just two weeks later, Raducanu is once again without a coach as she enters the European clay court season.
Sources indicate that the separation was amicable, with both parties quickly realizing a misalignment in their approaches, despite only working together for two sets of competitive tennis.
In the Miami Open, Emma Navarro, the American No.8 seed, is Raducanu’s next opponent in the second round as she aims to revitalize her season.
