Emma Raducanu not 'actively looking for coach' ahead of Indian Wells after 'very difficult' spell due to virus

British No. 1 Emma Raducanu will be back in action at Indian Wells in March following a "very difficult" spell in the Middle East. Raducanu had a first-round retirement in Qatar and then lost her opener in Dubai. She has revealed that she was dealing with the "after-effects" of a virus and has also spoken about her coaching set-up and her "resilience".

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Emma Raducanu says she is not "actively looking for a coach" as she bids to bounce back following a "very difficult" Middle East swing.

British No. 1 Raducanu started February by reaching the Transylvania Open final in Cluj - her first final since winning the 2021 US Open.

But she followed that up with a first-round retirement in Qatar, and then a defeat in her opening match in Dubai.

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In all three matches she had her blood pressure checked, and she has revealed she was dealing with the "after-effects" of a virus.

"In Cluj, I picked up like a virus, I think, at the start of the tournament," she told the Guardian.

"So I was dealing with that and the after-effects… I had really long effects for the last three weeks. I’ve been trying to clear them. So the Middle East trip was very difficult for me.

"I’m getting ready for Indian Wells and just trying to get back to full health. And I still have a bit of time, so I’m just looking forward to doing my best to be ready for that."

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Raducanu has been without a full-time coach after parting ways with Francisco Roig following the Australian Open.

Roig, who spent 18 years working with Rafael Nadal, joined Raducanu's team before the US Open last August.

Raducanu says she has no immediate plans to appoint a replacement and will head to Indian Wells and Miami in March with former British pro Alexis Canter.

"Right now I wouldn’t say I’m actively looking for a coach," said the 23-year-old, who has been announced as a new global brand ambassador for Uniqlo after leaving Nike.

"I think I had a great experience with Francis in terms of how we got on so well… the rapport was great. I think in the end, we just weren’t aligning on certain key aspects. But we still maintain a really good relationship.

"Right now I have Alexis in my corner. He knows me as a person. He knows me as a player. And I’ve actually had some success with him in the past year in Washington [making the semi-finals] and Cluj…so it’s going well.

"I know the drills that I need to be doing right now in this moment in time…just repetition of doing those key fundamentals. I think I want to go back to that and [develop] a more aggressive style of playing."

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Raducanu took the tennis world by storm in 2021 when she won the US Open as a qualifier without dropping a set.

But she hasn’t won a tournament since and has rarely been able to replicate the level she showed during that magical run in New York.

Her progress has been hindered by a number of injury issues, but she remains determined to reach the top again.

"Sport is a great vehicle in terms of teaching you life lessons. I believe resilience is the biggest lesson that I can take away from this," she added.

"Because the season is so long – it’s 11 months of the year – it’s very difficult to be on court the entire time if you play all these tournaments that are now being made mandatory.

"Just doing your best each day, and striving to be the best version of yourself is my goal. But I think just knowing that whatever challenge comes my way, I can keep falling down seven times, but I’m going to get up eight times.

"That’s something that I keep with me. It serves me pretty well in the tough moments."

Indian Wells starts on Wednesday, March 4, with Raduducanu set to be seeded as she is currently ranked No. 25 in the world.

Raducanu lost to Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament in 2025.

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