Emma Raducanu has abruptly ended her coaching trial with Vladimir Platenik after just two weeks, raising fresh concerns over her revolving door approach to coaching.

Emma Raducanu’s turbulent coaching history has taken another dramatic turn. The 22-year-old British tennis star has parted ways with coach Vladimir Platenik after just two weeks, marking yet another abrupt end to a coaching partnership.

Raducanu, who secured her first Miami Open victory as a professional on Wednesday with a commanding straight-sets win over Sayaka Ishii, was noticeably without Platenik in her coaching box. The 49-year-old coach had already left for California two days before her disappointing first-round exit at Indian Wells earlier this month. Despite their initial training sessions together, Raducanu decided to call time on the trial, citing a lack of alignment in their working relationship.

Her representatives emphasised that she holds “the utmost respect” for Platenik but acknowledged that the partnership was “not quite heading in the right direction.” However, Platenik recently hinted in an interview with Slovak newspaper Dennik N that there had been a tentative agreement for him to coach Raducanu at least until the French Open in May.

The highly regarded Slovakian coach, who previously worked with top players like Daria Kasatkina and Dominika Cibulkova, is known for his intensity and assertiveness. While his methods have proven effective with some, a former player described him as a “freight train” – a relentless force not always easy to work with.

Raducanu’s decision to part ways with Platenik comes at a crucial juncture in her career. Since winning the 2021 US Open, she has struggled to find a stable coaching setup. Her list of former coaches includes Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson—who guided her during her historic New York triumph—Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, and most recently, Nick Cavaday, who stepped down in January due to health concerns.

Despite the coaching shake-up, Raducanu displayed composure on court, sweeping past Ishii 6-2, 6-1 to set up a second-round clash with eighth seed Emma Navarro on Friday. Jane O’Donoghue, a long-time friend and occasional mentor, was present in the coaching box alongside Colin Beecher, head of the LTA’s National Tennis Centre.

Raducanu had previously praised Platenik as “very serious and very professional,” but also admitted at Indian Wells that it was too soon to predict how their partnership would evolve. The two had some prior experience working together in a trial period when Raducanu was 17, but this latest stint failed to gain traction.

As she moves forward without a permanent coach, questions will continue to swirl around Raducanu’s approach to coaching relationships. Will she find stability before the French Open, or is she destined to repeat the cycle of rapid-fire coach dismissals? With her undeniable talent and potential, fans will hope she can finally find the right guidance to recapture the form that once made her a Grand Slam champion.