Mark Petchey returned to Emma Raducanu’s coaching team at Indian Wells.
After Raducanu split from Francisco Roig, she began working with LTA coach Alexis Canter.
With Canter in her corner, Raducanu reached the final of the Transylvania Open last month.
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Looking to add more experience to her team, the 23-year-old enlisted Petchey‘s help, who worked with her for several months in 2025.
During the latest episode of ‘The Big T Podcast‘, Petchey offered an update on his coaching relationship with the British number one.
Mark Petchey says he will try to help Emma Raducanu but admits he still has other commitments
“We have always stayed in touch,” said Petchey.
“I felt like last year we got to a stage where this kind of work, the media work, was overwhelming, and trying to do the right things, I didn’t want anything to fall through the cracks.
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“She found herself in a situation once again where she didn’t really have somebody she could lean into.
“She didn’t like where her game had been heading.
“The flare went up, and I said I’d come to Indian Wells early and try to help her.
“That’s where we are.”
Petchey addressed concerns that Raducanu had opted for another short-term solution.
“I know everybody feels there isn’t really this big plan at this particular stage,” he said.
“The plan is day by day, and we will figure out where she goes.
“I love her to bits, and we will try and help her, but we will have to try and figure out how this works around these other commitments.”
Petchey and Raducanu ended their coaching relationship last year because the former wasn’t prepared to give up his media commitments.
His latest comments prove his priorities haven’t changed.
Therefore, Raducanu and Petchey will go their separate ways again before too long.
Will she look for another coach then? Or will she work with Canter full-time? Only time will tell.
For now, Raducanu will try to stay in the moment and maximise the time she spends with Petchey.
Who will Emma Raducanu play at Indian Wells?
Seeded 25th, Raducanu receives a BYE into the second round of Indian Wells.
There, she will play either Ella Seidel or Anastasia Zakharova.
Against both players, Raducanu would be considered a heavy favorite.
That likely won’t be the case in the third round…
Assuming both players win their openers, Raducanu would meet Amanda Anisimova in round three.
Anisimova has been mightily impressive over the last year or so, reaching two Grand Slam finals and winning two WTA 1000 titles.
She does, however, have a losing head-to-head record against the 2021 US Open champion.
Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova’s head-to-head record (2-1)
- 2025 Canadian Open 3R – Amanda Anisimova defeated Emma Raducanu, 6-2, 6-1
- 2025 Miami Open 4R – Emma Raducanu defeated Amanda Anisimova, 6-1, 6-3
- 2025 Australian Open 2R – Emma Raducanu defeated Amanda Anisimova, 6-3, 7-5
If Raducanu were to extend her winning head-to-head record against Anisimova, she could play Canada’s Victoria Mboko in the fourth round.
Mboko won the 2025 Canadian Open and reached her second WTA 1000 final recently at the Qatar Open.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka would likely await Raducanu in the quarterfinals.
Raducanu pushed Sabalenka close at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open last year, but has yet to record a victory over the Belarusian.
If she could do so at Indian Wells, Raducanu would insert herself in the title picture.
Emma Raducanu’s Indian Wells draw
| Round | Highest-ranked potential opponent | Potential seeded opponents |
| 1R (BYE) | – | – |
| 2R | Ella Seidel (83) | – |
| 3R | Amanda Anisimova (6) | [6] Amanda Anisimova |
| 4R | Victoria Mboko (10) | [10] Victoria Mboko, [23] Anna Kalinskaya |
| QF | Aryna Sabalenka (1) | [1] Aryna Sabalenka, [16] Naomi Osaka, [18] Iva Jovic, [29] Maya Joint |
| SF | Coco Gauff (4) | [4] Coco Gauff, [7] Jasmine Paolini, [11] Ekaterina Alexandrova, [14] Linda Noskova, [17] Clara Tauson, [21] Diana Shnaider, [30] Xinyu Wang, [31] Alex Eala |
| F | Iga Swiatek (2) | [2] Iga Swiatek, [3] Elena Rybakina, [5] Jessica Pegula, [8] Mirra Andreeva, [9] Elina Svitolina, [12] Belinda Bencic, [13] Karolina Muchova, [15] Madison Keys, [19] Liudmila Samsonova, [20] Emma Navarro, [22] Elise Mertens, [24] Qinwen Zheng, [26] Jelena Ostapenko, [27] Leylah Fernandez, [28] Marta Kostyuk, [32] Maria Sakkari |
The likes of Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Iga Swiatek could then stand between Raducanu and the title, but she won’t want to get ahead of herself.
In reality, a battling defeat to Anisimova in the third round would be deemed a success for Raducanu.
It remains to be seen how far Raducanu will go at Indian Wells, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Raducanu will play Seidel or Zakharova in the second round later this week.
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