Spending three days working with Mark Petchey, Emma Raducanu's former Wimbledon coach, was an eye-opening experience into the influences of a tennis career. Petchey has coached Raducanu three times, most recently at Indian Wells in March 2026, where she reached the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time and re-entered the world's top 50 after 18 months outside it.
A Surprising Level of Hands-On Coaching
It was shocking to see how hands-on Petchey, a current Tennis Channel commentator, was just days after flying in from Paris following the French Open. As Neilson's Racket Sports Ambassador, he got out on court with club coaches he had trained and selected, despite his high-profile role.
For someone who coached a teenage Andy Murray two decades ago, Petchey still evidently enjoys working with players of all levels. He relished seeing relative beginners finally knock a ball over the net just as much as someone nailing their serve.
Why Raducanu Keeps Returning to Petchey
During their time together last summer, Raducanu said she 'really enjoyed being around' Petchey, explaining 'he's been everything the last few months for me' and 'helped me so much on all fronts, tennis, off court'. After spending just a few days with him at Neilson's new Inside Collection resort – Neilson x Mangia's Torre del Barone Resort in Sicily – it is clear to see why she speaks so highly of him.
Beyond Tennis: Padel and Pickleball
Tennis is his first love, but padel and pickleball are also embraced. Two hours playing padel alongside him supplied ample evidence of his enthusiasm. The racket sports centre featured just as many pickleball courts as tennis ones, with plenty of places to play padel without the nightmare of finding a booking weeks in advance.
Group Sessions for All Levels
Another surprising aspect was how enjoyable group sessions were for beginners, regular players, and everyone in between. Friendly competition was at the heart of them, with improvement coming through enjoyment rather than endurance. The grading of clinics meant one knew what they were getting into, with colour coding allowing progression through the week.
Practising with players of a similar standard leads to an informal tournament, providing an opportunity to display improvement and a more social finale to test skills with one hand while holding a beverage in the other. Petchey remains almost omnipresent throughout, offering advice, encouragement, and the odd anecdote from his decades in the game.
As I found out, it is easy to see why Raducanu keeps coming back – and she is far from the only one.
