Tim Henman admitted he was shocked when Emma Raducanu ended the coaching partnership with his best friend Andrew Richardson after her US Open triumph in 2021. The 23-year-old stunned the sporting world with her fairytale victory at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier, where she was led by Richardson. However, the Brit opted to axe the coach from her team just two weeks later, stating he wasn't experienced enough.
Richardson Returns to Raducanu's Team
Richardson has since returned to Raducanu's coaching staff and led her to the Queen's final last week, where she lost in straight sets to Donna Vekic. Her initial dismissal of Richardson struck Henman—who described him as one of his closest friends—by surprise.
Speaking to The Guardian, the former world No. 4 said: "I was surprised she chose not to work with him. She's worked with a lot of coaches since then and now I really hope that her decision to get back with Andrew works for both their sakes. He's one of my best friends and I've also been around Emma. So it would be good if results improve."
Raducanu's Grass-Court Run and Wimbledon Seeding
Raducanu's grass-court run continues at Wimbledon next week. She is set to be seeded at No. 32. She has yet to win a title since her New York heroics, and Henman speculated whether the Grand Slam victory hindered her development.
Henman said: "It was so unexpected because no one had ever qualified and made the final of a Slam, let alone qualified and won it. So she didn't really have a foundation to build from. She'd just done her A-levels and played some grass-court tournaments and then her ranking went up to No. 20 in the world. All of a sudden she was playing top-level events and she wasn't ready, physically and mentally. You can't drop down to build match practice and resilience but would you rather it had not happened? Absolutely not. It's one of the most incredible achievements in sport."
Henman's Views on Richardson's Fit
Henman stopped short of predicting she would win another Slam but insisted under the tutelage of Richardson, Raducanu will be able to perform consistently and become more durable on the court. Asked if Richardson was the right man for the job, Henman answered: "Of course. He was a good player and he understands the game well. He's got a good history with Emma as they've known each other since she was in her early teens."
