Emma Raducanu reveals text message that persuaded Andrew Richardson to return as coach before French Open - 'Something's cooking'

Raducanu worked with coach Richardson when she made her breakthrough as a teenager and won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier.

They parted ways soon after that remarkable success, with Raducanu opting for coaches with more WTA Tour experience.

But she has struggled to establish a long-term partnership with any of her subsequent appointments and has now returned to Richardson, who she revealed will take on the role for the remainder of the year.

"He's someone who I've known for a very long time, over a decade, and we have a great chemistry, coach-player relationship and that was evident every time we worked together," Raducanu said in her pre-tournament press conference.

"After I had a break because I got sick, I wanted to come back in a really authentic way. I reached out and didn't necessarily know where it was going or how it was going to come about. Everything happened very quickly but very happy to have him back.

"I think consistency is needed and, regardless of the results, I want to just commit and give everything I can, and I think it's been working really well since I started returning to training.

"We stayed in touch but it was just a text. I was like, 'Heyyy.' When you get a text from me with 'hey' with three Ys, just know something's cooking.

"So it was one of those but then it was really nice, we were able to catch up on a bit of lost time and then we very quickly got on a call."

Asked whether splitting with Richardson in 2021 was an error, Raducanu said: "I think at that time it was very difficult to say I made a mistake because in my life everything changed upside down, and I didn't really think I had the most handle over the situation in the sense that I was being pulled left, right.

"I didn't really know what was going on and, I think, everything also happened very quickly then.

"What it taught me is a lot of experiences over the past few years. It taught me a lot of what I didn't want and it taught me that I really just value having people that I trust and connect with around me. So it's really nice to have that feeling back."

Raducanu provided more insight into her relationship with Richardson, revealing what makes the partnership work.

"You probably just naturally forge easier bonds with certain people over others and I think the fact that he's known me since I was very young and I know that he's always just wanted the best for me," she said.

"When you have known someone before any success, it does make a little bit of a difference too.

"But as a coach, I think he really believes in me and he's someone who doesn't necessarily get wavered or put off by results.

"He's very consistent, very solid. We work, we do our best, we try again, we find out iteration by iteration and I think that is something that I could really use, because I'm naturally more emotional in the sense that I want things to happen quickly."

Raducanu will play Argentina's Solana Sierra in a tricky first-round match at the French Open.

A season interrupted by illness has seen the 23-year-old drop to 37th in the WTA rankings and, as a result, she missed out on a seeding for the Grand Slam.

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