Vladimir Platenik, Emma Raducanu`s former coach, understands her decision to end their partnership. He believes the British tennis star was experiencing significant stress.
Raducanu is once again seeking a new coach after her brief two-week trial period with Platenik concluded.
This coaching change comes after Raducanu`s defeat in the first round of the Indian Wells tournament against Moyuka Uchijima.
Platenik, in an interview with BBC Sport, stated, “I totally understand Emma, she’s not in an easy position. The world is watching her after the US Open victory, and everyone, including herself, has high expectations for her next steps.”
He added, “It`s completely understandable that she feels a lot of pressure. She mentioned to me that she was feeling stressed.”
“There are no hard feelings from my side. She ended our professional relationship fairly, perhaps abruptly, but this is tennis, this is professional sport. We must respect that.”
Platenik further explained, “She wasn`t feeling well, and it was her decision. I didn’t want to delve deeper into the reasons. I believe it`s essential for a player to feel comfortable and make their own choices. Sometimes decisions are good, and sometimes they are not.”
In a previous interview with Slovak newspaper Dennik N, Platenik mentioned that Raducanu had initially approached him after her US Open win. He also expressed his view that coaching her “could be coaching suicide.”
He also commented, “Emma is also stressed about a newspaper article. Her agent commented on the situation, saying, `It’s maybe a little bit unfortunate, but I’m not angry.`”
Platenik concluded, “I always speak honestly because tennis is an honest sport. I have always been truthful, perhaps too much so, which might not be appreciated by all players, parents, and people around them. But in my view, tennis is a sport that values honesty.”
