Emma Raducanu will have to find another new coach when she makes her return to professional tennis after announcing she has parted ways with Sebastian Sachs. Raducanu, who is recovering from surgeries to both hands and her ankle, said the decision was mutual in a statement on social media.
“I have really enjoyed Seb’s coaching and working with him, it’s unfortunate that circumstances made it unfeasible for both of us to continue right now and we have decided to part ways,” she wrote on Twitter. “I wish Seb all the best moving forwards.”
Sachs is another addition to the long list of coaches who have briskly entered and departed Raducanu’s inner circle in such a short amount of time. Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz and Dmitry Tursunov have also enjoyed brief stints with the Briton in the two years since her emergence at Wimbledon in 2021.
The 20-year-old has also sought out temporary help from other figures, including Jane O’Donoghue and the LTA coaches Louis Cayer and Iain Bates.
Quick GuideBon Jovi to back Cameron Norrie at Wimbledon
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Cameron Norrie is still competing at this year’s French Open but is looking forward to having celebrity backing at Wimbledon.
The British No 1 revealed an unlikely friendship earlier this year when he hit with Jon Bon Jovi. The singer watched Norrie in Miami and the 27-year-old is hoping to see him in his player box.
"It was so cool to play with him," said Norrie, whose girlfriend knows one of Bon Jovi's sons. "He is really liking tennis more and more, I think he's going to make an appearance at Wimbledon.
"I'm not really the biggest of his fans. Obviously I respect his music and I know a lot of his songs. It's cool to see him getting involved in tennis. He's playing almost every day."
Norrie will play the 21-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the third round at Roland Garros on Friday. He is through to this stage for the third year in a row but has never been further, and recently lost to Musetti on clay in Barcelona.
"I have a pretty decent game to play him but I'm going to have to play really well. His best surface is clay and he's had a lot of really tough matches,” said Norrie.
Norrie is the only British singles player remaining in Paris, but Jamie Murray and his New Zealand partner, Michael Venus, reached the third round of the men’s doubles with a 6-1 7-5 victory over Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah on Thursday.
Andy Murray will return to action next week at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.
Having skipped the French Open to focus on his Wimbledon preparations, he has taken a wildcard into the Challenger event. Murray played the tournament last year for the first time since 2004, losing in the semi-final to Denis Kudla.
Murray said: "[It’s] a great way to start my grass-court season. It's nice to play somewhere that has the feel of a traditional club."
Dan Evans is a more surprise inclusion, having said after his first-round defeat in Paris that he would not seek a wildcard.
Evans will headline the Challenger event in Nottingham the following week, with Murray expected at the ATP tournament in Stuttgart.
Venus Williams will play at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham. She has not played a tournament since January but will return to action in the Netherlands at the Libema Open from 12 June. PA Media
Even in a sport that sees a quick turnover of coaches, Raducanu has also built a reputation for her inability to establish a long-term partnership, particularly after her decision to not continue with Richardson immediately after her US Open title.
In this case, however, it is quite a predictable consequence of Raducanu’s injury layoff. Raducanu and Sachs were still in the early stages of their partnership, having started work together in December.
Raducanu had to either commit to paying his salary throughout her period of inactivity, which is likely to last a similar period to the amount of time they have actively worked together, or else break it off and start again when she returns. Months of inactivity would have also been far from an ideal arrangement for Sachs, who at 31 is a young coach still trying to make his mark.
Raducanu’s return remains uncertain; she is unlikely to be back in time for the US Open, which begins in August, but her team are confident she will play before the end of the season. With her comeback still far away, they have not begun to consider any future coaches.
When she does begin her return, Raducanu will have time to figure out her next candidate at her own pace but it remains to be seen if she will find a partnership that finally lasts.