Emma Raducanu’s journey at the Indian Wells tournament came to an early end as she faced a first-round defeat against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima. The match, played under challenging windy conditions, saw Raducanu struggle to find her rhythm, ultimately losing in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Despite the setback, the 22-year-old British tennis star remains optimistic about her future, particularly with the addition of Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik to her team.
Platenik, who has an impressive coaching resume, has worked with several top players on the WTA Tour, including Dominika Cibulkova and Daria Kasatkina. Raducanu expressed her enthusiasm about collaborating with Platenik, highlighting his extensive experience and methodical approach to the game. She emphasized the importance of having a coach who brings passion and a strong work ethic to the table, qualities she believes Platenik embodies.
Reflecting on her performance, Raducanu acknowledged the need for improvement in various aspects of her game. She noted that the conditions at Indian Wells were particularly challenging, but she remains focused on refining her skills and building a stronger foundation for future tournaments. The partnership with Platenik is seen as a step in the right direction, as Raducanu aims to regain her form and confidence on the court.
Raducanu’s determination to move forward and her willingness to embrace change demonstrate her resilience as an athlete. With Platenik’s guidance, she hopes to navigate the challenges ahead and continue her journey in professional tennis with renewed vigor.
She said “We haven’t necessarily done that much yet, because he arrived very, very recently. So it was the day before the match where we don’t necessarily want to, like, change anything.
So we haven’t actually started, I’d say, like, proper work. From how I have met him, he’s very serious, he’s very professional, gets on with it. We’ll see how it goes.”
A lot has happened since Australia. It’s good that I have someone who is very experienced here. And we’ll see how the work goes and how we get on as well on and off the court and the methods and everything.
So I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. I think I just need to, yeah, keep trying to put one foot in front of the other and not look back too much.”
Emma Raducanu in 2025
Now ranked no.55, Emma played her last match on the 6th of March when she was defeated by world no.52 Moyuka Uchijima 6-3 6-2 in the 1st round in Indian Wells (draw).
Currently, during this season the Brit has an overall 3-6 record.