Emma Raducanu: British No 1 splits from coach Francis Roig after just six months
Emma Raducanu began working with Francis Roig in August; the British No 1 has endured disappointing results during their six months working together; Roig formerly worked as part of 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal's coaching team
Thursday 29 January 2026 19:40, UK
Emma Raducanu has split from coach Francis Roig after just six months working with the Spaniard.
Raducanu's decision comes a week on from her exit in the second round of the Australian Open, after which she said was looking to play in "a different way".
The 23-year-old confirmed her split with Roig, who formerly coached Rafael Nadal, in an Instagram post on Thursday.
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Raducanu wrote: "Francis, thank you for our time together. You have been more than a coach to me and I will cherish the many good times we spent together on the court.
"While we have come to the conclusion together that we ought not to move forward, please know that I am very grateful for all you have taught me and fond of our time shared."
Since her stunning 2021 US Open victory, Raducanu has had a high turnover of coaches amid injury struggles that have prevented her from establishing herself at the top of the women's game.
She enjoyed a strong run of form while working with Andy Murray's former coach Mark Petchey early in 2025 in a temporary arrangement, but hired Roig in August as she sought a new permanent fixture.
Raducanu's results under Roig were largely disappointing as she failed to win more than two matches at any of the tournaments she entered during their spell working together.
Roig worked alongside Nadal's uncle Toni for the majority of the 22-time grand slam champion's career, before going on to work as part of Matteo Berrettini's team.
Raducanu is next scheduled to play next week at the Transylvania Open in Romania, live on Sky Sports Tennis.
It remains to be seen whether the Brit has overcome injury problems that prevented her from playing for more than two months ahead of the start of the new season.
Roig is the ninth coach to depart since Raducanu's 2021 US Open win.
Asked about her plans following the Australian Open, she said: "I think I'm going to take a few days, get back home and try and just re-evaluate my game a bit.
"Watch it back, see where I can improve. What I have been feeling and also what is visually apparent. I definitely want to feel better on certain shots before I start playing again.
"I want to be playing a different way, and I think the misalignment with how I'm playing right now and how I want to be playing is something that I just want to work on.
"At the end of the day, I just want to hit the ball to the corners and hard. I feel like I'm doing all this variety, and it's not doing what I want it to do. I need to just work on playing in a way more similar to how I was playing when I was younger."
'Finding the right balance is hard'
Sky Sports' commentator Jonathan Overend reflected on the aftermath of Raducanu's Australian Open exit: "
"I think she has spent a lot of her young career re-evaluating. In one regard, it explains why she has been through so many coaches and why she has been criticised for it.
"It's typical of the Raducanu that wants to keep re-evaluating and finding out what is best for her on and around a tennis court. That challenge continues, and to some extent it is a struggle, because finding the right balance is so hard, but I think she is slowly getting [it], not in terms of her Grand Slam results but in terms of that re-evaluation process.
"What is it she really wants for herself on a tennis court and in tournaments?"
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