Coach Vladimir Platenik said his brief working relationship with Emma Raducanu ended because the British player "felt under a lot of pressure." Platenik revealed that Raducanu's decision to end the partnership after only two weeks of working together came as a "big surprise" to him, but he was "not angry."
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03-21, 2025The conversation took place after they had trained for 10 days, and on the eve of the British No. 2's first-round match at the Miami Open. "I completely understand Emma, she is in a difficult situation. After winning the US Open, the whole world is watching her, and everyone, including herself, expects her to perform next," Platenik said.
"For me, it's completely understandable that she's under a lot of pressure. She told me she felt under a lot of pressure," Platenik added. "I don't have any hard feelings. She ended the relationship in a fair way, maybe too quickly, but that's tennis, that's sport. We need to respect that."
"She didn't feel good, it was her decision. I didn't want to communicate about it more deeply. I think the player needs to feel good, the player needs to make decisions. Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes not," Platenik explained, adding that Raducanu's father, Ian, had asked him at the end of last month if he could recommend a coach. Raducanu has not had a permanent coach since Nick Cavaday left for health reasons in January.
Platenik initially recommended someone else, but when his collaboration with New Zealand player Lulu Sun unexpectedly ended, he quickly got back in touch with Raducanu. The 49-year-old Slovakian flew to Indian Wells immediately and arrived the day before Raducanu lost to Japan's Moyuka Uchijima. He said he was "surprised" by Emma's training methods.
"She really couldn't sustain rallies, there were a lot of problems with hitting the ball on the move with different speeds, spins and angles," he said. "We had good discussions, her communication was good. I was happy because I have to say I have never seen a player improve so fast – in eight or nine days."
"She picked up a lot of things very quickly. I think that was also evident in the first round of the Miami Open against Nao Hibino. Her technique and tactics were very correct, exactly what we practiced, so I was happy, and I hope she got something out of my help."
Raducanu's representatives said she had "a lot of respect" for Platenik, but the relationship "wasn't heading in the right direction." She said in Indian Wells that Platenik was "very serious and very professional," but emphasized that it was too early to judge how they would get along on and off the court.
Platenik, who has worked successfully with Daria Kasatkina and Dominika Cibulkova, said they had initially agreed to work together until the French Open. He would be very willing to work with her again in the future if Raducanu changed her mind. "She needs to feel good. If she comes back in six months and says, 'Vlado, I made a mistake because actually it was working, I just need to try to find myself,' that's okay – that's life," he said.
"You need to look for the best of yourself, you need to learn, and only time will tell if the decision she made was the right one." Platenik also confirmed that some very blunt comments he made in an interview with Slovakian newspaper Dennik N led to some tension in the relationship. He suggested Raducanu "went through hell" after winning the 2021 US Open.
"Emma was also under pressure because of the newspaper article, so the agent made the comment: 'It may be a little unfortunate, but I'm not angry,'" he added. "I always tell the truth, because tennis is an honest sport." "I've always been honest, maybe I'm too honest, and a lot of players, parents and people around the players don't like that, but tennis is an honest sport."
