Annabel Croft gives her verdict on Emma Raducanu’s new partnership with Francisco Roig

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Emma Raducanu has made another change to her coaching team, and this one could be her best yet.

Earlier this year, Raducanu brought in Mark Petchey to her team, as the pair immediately enjoyed success at the Miami Open, where she reached the quarterfinals.

However, due to Petchey’s ongoing TV commitments, he was unable to join the team on a full-time basis.

Finding someone to fulfill the role of head coach permanently, Raducanu hired Francisco Roig.

The Spaniard has coached Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini previously and has a wealth of experience on the ATP Tour.

As Raducanu and Roig prepare to begin their relationship together in Cincinnati, a former British number one has given her verdict on the move.

Annabel Croft thinks Emma Raducanu has just made ‘one of the best’ appointments possible

Speaking to Sky Sports, former British number one Annabel Croft commented on Raducanu’s appointment of Roig.

“I think he’s a very good appointment, one of the best appointments,” said Croft.

“Anyone who has had that much experience with Rafael Nadal, it’s incredible. I’ve always admired him. I always thought somebody like him might be perfect for her.

“So I’m excited about the fact she’s chosen him.”

Croft proceeded to explain why she believes Roig and Raducanu might work well together.

“He’s very disciplined and detailed,” she said.

“I think if she likes technical advice, which I think she does, I remember watching him many times with Rafael Nadal discussing the swing path; he’s clearly very technically minded, but all Spanish coaches are so good tactically as well.”

The Briton, currently ranked 39th in the world, has ‘everything’ according to Croft, as she’s interested to see what Raducanu can achieve with Roig on board.

“You look at her and think, ‘what a talent, you’ve got everything’. Moves beautifully, she’s got choices, has variety, creativity,” said Croft.

“I think she’s a beautiful tennis player, and it’s all about getting the matches and the momentum going and building up the bank, as I call it, and this year she’s definitely built up a bigger bank of matches, and match wins, and that counts for something. I think she’s playing really well.”

In 2025, Raducanu has already matched her career-high for match wins in a season, with 23.

She’ll no doubt be looking to secure win number 24 in Cincinnati when she makes her first appearance at the event in three years.

Who will Emma Raducanu play in her opening match in Cincinnati?

Traveling to Ohio as the number 30 seed, Raducanu has been given a bye into round two, where she will play Serbia’s Olga Danilovic.

The pair have yet to meet on tour, but are separated by just four places in the world rankings, leading many to believe their second-round clash will be closely contested.

If she were to advance past Danilovic, Raducanu could be in for a real challenge in the third round, against a three-time Grand Slam champion.

Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka will begin her campaign against Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday, August 9, with the winner of that match set to take on Danilovic or Raducanu in round three.

Winning their second career meeting, Sabalenka defeated Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon recently, in a thriller on Centre Court.

Raducanu would do well to beat Sabalenka should they face off for a third time in Cincinnati, but things won’t get much easier from that point on, as several big names are likely to await her as she makes her way through the draw.

Emma Raducanu’s route to the title by seeding

• 2R – Olga Danilovic
• 3R – Aryna Sabalenka [1]
• 4R – Liudmila Samsonova [13]
• QF – Madison Keys [6]
• SF – Iga Swiatek [3]
• F – Coco Gauff [2]

The likes of Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff could stand between Raducanu and a maiden WTA 1000 title should she make it through to the semifinals.

However, whilst a title in Cincinnati would be the dream outcome for Raducanu, the priority will be for her to finish up her US Open preparations on a high and to kick off her coaching partnership with Roig on the right note.

Attempting to do just that, Raducanu will play her second-round match against Danilovic on Saturday, August 9.