Emma Raducanu’s agent has given his verdict on her unusual approach to coaching after the Brit linked up with childhood mentor Nick Cavaday. Before their reunion, Raducanu went through five coaches in the space of 18 months – something Max Eisenbud admitted he doesn’t “necessarily agree with”.
Raducanu recently returned from an eight-month injury layoff after having surgeries on both of her wrists and one ankle. The 21-year-old had to rebuild her team from scratch after her surgeries and enlisted Cavaday to help her, with the British coach accompanying her in Australia and the Middle East.
The 2021 US Open was previously forced to let ex-mentor Sebastian Sachs go when she faced months on the sidelines. The German was one of many coaches who only lasted a short period with Raducanu before her camp decided to let him go.
The no-nonsense tactic of chopping and changing her staff has become a talking point when it comes to Raducanu. And her own agent has now confessed that it’s something he disagrees with, explaining that her family usually gets their way when it comes to the coaches.
“I think the coaching situation is something that is hard for people to accept. And she has a father who likes to do things differently like some other fathers,” Eisenbud told Andy Roddick’s Served podcast. “He has a different philosophy about how long coaches should be and all that kind of stuff.”
While Raducanu has earned something of a reputation for her brutal coaching decisions, her agent believes that the criticism isn’t anything to worry about. Eisenbun continued: “I say to myself and I say to them, If the media is only ripping you on who your coach is and when you keep coaches then we’re going to be in a pretty good situation.
“But that’s how they do it and as the agent, do I necessarily agree with it? I don’t. But it seems to work for her. And as the agent we can only try to recommend and say, Hey, this one did it this way. But they seem to be very comfortable the way they’re doing it and I have to respect that.”
