The revered coach who put Serena Williams on the road to greatness hopes to help revive Emma Laducanu’s career by making her “invulnerable”.
But Rick March also warned, “I don’t know what she’s thinking,” adding that real progress would require Raducanu to show “hungry and belief.”
Raducanu has not played since April after undergoing surgeries on both wrists and ankles. Two years after her sensational victory at the U.S. Open as an 18-year-old, she has plummeted to No. 289 in the world and has been without a coach since splitting from Sebastian Sachs in June.
Sachs is the fifth coach Raducanu, who turned 21 this month, has worked with in two years. In a recent interview with the BBC’s Today programme, she said “they (her coaches) failed to keep up with the questions I asked.”
March — the unforgettable character played by actor Jon Bernthal in the Oscar-winning “King Richard” — trained Serena and Venus Williams, Ann The talents of tennis greats like Dee Roddick and Jennifer Capriati. Now, the American says he’s delighted at the chance to work with Raducanu.
The 68-year-old from Florida said: “I spoke to her agent but he told her parents to deal with the coaching appointment.
“I’m not a travel coach and people come to me. I can help her mentally and strategically, which is unique. I don’t know where her head is at and if she has the desire and belief to be the best.
“If you look at Carlos Alcaraz, he was successful at a young age and everything changed, but he was ready and he was ready. I don’t know Emma doesn’t know what’s going on in her head, but you don’t lose your talents and abilities.
“Yes, you might lose a little bit of confidence and fitness, but technically she’s very good – otherwise you wouldn’t win a Grand Slam. If she really wants to be one of the best players in the world – And she has the skills – then you need to deal with the pressure that comes with that.
“She should want the pressure. You go through all this training to be a professional and hopefully be the best in the world. She has to be able to handle what comes with that. She has to be ready to deal with the media.
“To say that she sometimes wishes she hadn’t won the U.S. Open because of the mental and physical stress it puts on her, that goes both ways; if she’s going to hear every little thing about her, that’s not going to work, You have to be invulnerable and I can help her.
“You need the ability to forget as much as the ability to remember, and she had to learn from the adversity she faced.”
The charismatic March believes spending so much time off the field will benefit Raducanu in the long run. But there will be no quick fix for a talent who made history at Flushing Meadows by becoming the first player to win a Grand Slam in qualifying.
He continued: “It’s good to have time to reflect, as Osaka did before getting pregnant after her early success in her career. But training in things like footwork and technique takes time, and building confidence takes time.
“She’s maturing, and by taking time out, she can see that the people around her are maturing, what she expects of them and what she expects of herself.
“The good news is she’s young and it’s a long-term process and it’s not where you start but where you end. It will be interesting to see how things develop. I know when you qualify and don’t When you win a Grand Slam while losing a set, there’s something special between your ears – and most matches are played between your ears.
“She has to have a mature mentality and it’s important to have the right people around her. If she wants to be with the best in the world, you have to give it your all or you’re out.”
March’s comments come as Raducanu prepares for his return to competition in the New Year. However, she was already behind schedule. A week ago, she drew the draw for the MGM Macau Masters, a Dec. 2 exhibition event she signed up for over the summer.
Raducanu posted her first on-court video, now three and a half months after surgery, of her gently slapping the soft red ball back and forth with fellow rehabber Kyle Edmond. However, sources said she only started batting training in earnest in October and this week used a standard yellow ball for the first time.
If progress is slower than expected, we can perhaps blame it on the oversight of the Lawn Tennis Association’s physiotherapy department, which would naturally take a safety-first stance with such a high-profile player.
It is also understood that the Raducanu family has once again considered hiring its own training experts. (Will Herbert, the physical therapist who was with her when she won the U.S. Open, now works with her near-contemporary Jack Draper, while veteran fitness coach Jay Jez Green joined as a consultant more than a year ago but is no longer involved.)
But keeping staff on board remains an issue, and there are rumors of further “artistic differences” with external (non-LTA) experts being consulted. Since that glorious U.S. Open run, Raducanu’s story has never been simple.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph for free for 1 month, then get 1 year of our exclusive US offer for just $9.