Written Emma Raducanu has enlisted the help of her former confidante, Jane O’Donoghue, to prepare for this week’s Nottingham Open. Her primary coach, Nick Cavaday, has been unwell and unable to attend.
During a practice session in Nottingham, Raducanu played a set with last year’s Wimbledon finalist, Ons Jabeur, under the watchful eyes of O’Donoghue and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) employee, Mark Hilton. Raducanu has been working with Cavaday for the first six months of this season. He has been an ally since her school days, guiding her development at the Bromley Tennis Centre from the ages of ten to twelve.
Cavaday was seen training with Raducanu as recently as last week, but his presence has been intermittent since the end of her clay-court season. Sources suggest he may arrive in Nottingham in time for her first match on Tuesday.
O’Donoghue, who was the LTA’s national coach for women between 2009 and 2019, has a long history with Raducanu. She was part of her support network during her early days in tennis. O’Donoghue currently works for a subsection of the Credit Agricole/Santander banking empire but has assisted Raducanu intermittently. She spent a week with Raducanu in Auckland earlier this year before Cavaday took over for the Melbourne leg. O’Donoghue also guided Raducanu’s Wimbledon campaign in 2022, where she was beaten in the second round by Caroline Garcia.
Raducanu gained extra preparation time on grass by skipping the French Open, where she could have entered the qualifying event with her protected ranking. In a statement, she said, “It’s important for me to keep laying on the foundations and I will put in a healthy block [of training] before the grass and subsequent hard court seasons to give myself a chance to keep fit for the rest of the year.”
In Nottingham, Raducanu will face Ena Shibahara, the world No. 279 from Japan, in Tuesday’s first-round matches. Shibahara advanced to the main draw through two rounds of qualifying. The tournament also features five other British women: Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart, who will face each other in the first round, along with Lily Miyazaki, Heather Watson, and qualifier Emily Appleton.
Emma Raducanu in 2024
Currently ranked no.209, the Brit played her last match on the 24th of April when she lost to world no.86 Maria Lourdes Carle 6-2 6-2 in the 1st round in Madrid (draw).
During this season Raducanu has managed to achieve a composed 9-7 record.
Emma Raducanu will come up against the world no.274 Ena Shibahara in the 1st round. In the past, they have never competed against each other up to now in top tournaments.