Emma Raducanu's Ex-Coach Breaks Silence After Failed 2-Week Trial

Vladimir Platenik detailed his brief stint as Emma Raducanu's coach.

Emma Raducanu (GBR) vs Sayaka Ishii (JPN) during the 2025 Miami Open Day4 presented by Itaú at Hard Rock Stadium on March 19, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. / IMAGO / MediaPunch

On Wednesday afternoon, Emma Raducanu started her campaign at the Miami Open with a win. She looked much more comfortable in the South Florida conditions, and her coaching staff was also noticeably different.

After her first-round win, it was reported that Raducanu had shaken up her coaching staff. Following her first-round exit at Indian Wells, Raducanu parted ways with Vlado Platenik after an unsuccessful two-week trial.

A spokesperson for Raducanu said, "Emma and Vlado have parted ways. Emma has the utmost respect for Vlado and the work they started, but it wasn't quite heading in the right direction."

Raducanu's camp added, "Emma is now focused on doing as well as she can here in Miami after her solid start today and will continue looking for the right coach."

BREAKING: Emma Raducanu has parted company with her coach Vladimir Platenik after just 14 days 🚨 pic.twitter.com/FlFmZgidyM

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 19, 2025

Now, we are hearing from Platenik for the first time. The veteran tennis coach offered glowing praise of Raducanu and wished her the best. However, he was caught off guard by the timing of the decision.

In an exclusive report fo The Telegraph, Simon Briggs got Platenik's first statement. "Emma said she wanted to pause the collaboration. I understand that she is under a lot of pressure, and it's not easy for her, so I respect her decision," said Platenik.

Platenik had expected the trial period to continue until the French Open in late May. "I wish I had more time with her, but that's sport. Emma is super talented and I hope she could take some of my advice for the future. I wish her all the best."

Platenik was very pleased with the progress Raducanu made during their short time working together. The two focused on her improving her serve and footwork positioning.

"I was playing a dangerous opponent so please to come through that" 💪

Emma Raducanu reacts to her dominant win over Sayaka Ishii 💥 pic.twitter.com/ynUFUoBdEt

— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) March 19, 2025

"I never had a player who improved as fast as Emma. We had a hard but good eight or nine days of practice. We worked a bit differently than she was used to, improving a lot, especially on footwork positioning.

Platenik explained, "We also improved the serve with higher toss, and worked a lot on second serve where she also had a bad toss. Now, she can use the kick-serve more and be more aggressive even on second serve."

Platenik went on to praise Raducanu's performance against Sayaka Ishii in Miami and said she has the potential to be a top-20 player in the world again. the WTA World No. 60 with a record of 4-6. Navarro is the World No. 10 with a record of 11-6.

Raducanu faces the eight-seed Emma Navarro on Friday, March 21. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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