John McEnroe has endorsed Emma Raducanu's decision to rehire Andrew Richardson, having previously described their initial split as 'nonsensical'. Richardson was the coach when Raducanu made history as the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open. However, the British No. 1 parted ways with him shortly after, citing a need for a coach with more WTA Tour experience.
Since then, Raducanu has had a series of short-term coaching appointments. Now, she has returned to Richardson, whom she also worked with as a junior. The pair reunited ahead of this week's tournament in Strasbourg. McEnroe, a former world number one, expressed his surprise at the original split, saying, 'I was amazed that she got rid of the coach in the first place... you don't change the winning formula.'
Raducanu's post-US Open career has been hampered by injuries and illness, including a recent post-viral illness that kept her off the court for two-and-a-half months. She lost her opening match in Strasbourg to France's Diane Parry, meaning she will enter the French Open on Sunday with only one clay-court match this season. She is unseeded in the draw, having slipped to 37th in the rankings.
McEnroe doubts she will make a significant impact in Paris but believes the reunion with Richardson could pay dividends at Wimbledon. 'To me, grass would clearly be her more comfortable opportunity against the top players,' he said. 'I don't see her as nearly as comfortable on clay... I would certainly think that the hope would be to have her... that she would have a much better chance of doing something big there.'
