TENNIS

Emma Raducanu stays with childhood coach for Australian Open

Nick Cavaday had assisted the Briton since December as she prepared to return to the WTA Tour after an eight-month absence, but his appointment is not yet permanent
Elgan Alderman
The Times
Raducanu has worked with a series of LTA coaches since returning to the practice courts in October
Raducanu has worked with a series of LTA coaches since returning to the practice courts in October
HANNAH PETERS/GETTY IMAGES
Elgan Alderman
The Times

Emma Raducanu will have her former childhood coach Nick Cavaday in her corner at the Australian Open, but his appointment is not yet permanent.

Cavaday, a British former player, assisted Raducanu at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton last month. The 37-year-old was the head coach at the LTA’s High Performance Centre in Bromley, where Raducanu trained as a child from 2011 to 2014.

After an eight-month absence in which she had operations on her ankle and wrist, Raducanu returned to action at the ASB Classic in Auckland last week, beating Elena-Gabriela Ruse before losing to Elina Svitolina, the No 2 seed, in three sets. Jane O’Donoghue, another childhood coach of Raducanu who assisted her before Wimbledon in 2022, acted as her mentor in Auckland.