Coaching conversation with Mark Petchey and increased ‘confidence’: What next for Emma Raducanu after Wimbledon run?

Sabalenka was full of praise for Raducanu after the contest, tipping her to return to the top 10 in the world “soon”.

Raducanu had also produced an excellent display in the previous round to beat 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets.

She will now turn her attention to hard courts in the build-up to the US Open, while also potentially looking for clarity over her coaching set-up…

Raducanu’s upturn in form this season coincided with her decision to add Mark Petchey to her coaching team at the Miami Open.

Petchey, a former coach of Andy Murray, has been working with Raducanu since, but has been balancing the commitment with his TV commentary duties.

However, it remains to be seen where the partnership goes now.

“It’s very difficult,” Raducanu said after her loss to Sabalenka.

“He obviously also has his commentating commitments. He agreed to kind of help me until the end of Wimbledon and then we kind of see from there because he gave up some work to work with me here, which I really appreciate and I’m grateful for.

“That’s a conversation that we need to have after a few days and the dust settles a little bit.”

Raducanu has gone through several coaches since her US Open victory in 2021.

Nick Cavaday stepped back from the role earlier this season to “prioritise getting back to full health”, while Raducanu ended a two-week trial with Vladimir Platenik before the Miami Open.

Raducanu’s Wimbledon campaign might have ended earlier than hoped, but the way it ended offers optimism for the rest of the year.

Raducanu had the chance to serve out the first set against Sabalenka – as well as having a set point in the tie-breaker – and also led 4-1 in the second set.

“It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top,” said Raducanu.

“Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence. At the same time, it’s very difficult to take right now.

“It gives me confidence that I’m not as far away as I perhaps thought before the tournament. I think before, when I was playing those top-five players, it was pretty convincing, the loss.

“I think I did make good progress in the last few months, 100%, with the consistency and the work I’ve been doing. I need to still keep doing more of the same.”

Raducanu’s first stop on her hard-court summer is the Citi Open in Washington, DC.

Raducanu made the quarter-finals at the WTA 500 tournament last year and will be joined in the draw by Jessica Pegula, Paula Badosa and Naomi Osaka.

The Citi Open starts on July 21 and is followed by the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Montreal from July 27 and the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open from August 7.

The US Open starts on August 24.

Reflecting on the switch from grass to hard, Raducanu added: “I feel like grass for me is a great surface. It’s a bit of a leveller in that sense.

“So I think taking it onto a different surface where it’s a lot more lively in America is another challenge in itself.”

Raducan Memorably won the us open as a qualfier in

There will be three British women in the top 50 after Wimbledon.

Raducanu is set to slide a few places to No. 45 in the WTA rankings following her third-round Wimbledon exit as she will drop points, having made the fourth round a year ago.

Sonay Kartal will jump one place above her and become the new British No. 2 after her impressive run to the fourth round at Wimbledon.