Former Wimbledon winner tips Andy Murray to become Emma Raducanu’s new permanent coach
Andy Murray would be an ideal permanent coach for Emma Raducanu, according to former Wimbledon winner Conchita Martinez.
Martinez, who is the current coach of teenage starlet Mirra Andreeva, said British number one Raducanu is ‘doing great’ with Mark Petchey and Nick Cavaday – but ‘we should ask Andy if he would like this experience’.
Following his retirement from tennis, Murray, 38, coached Novak Djokovic but the pair split in May after six months.
Speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest tennis odds, Martinez said: “Emma is still young so there is still time.
“To be a coach and to be able to do the job right, it’s a huge commitment.
“When I took the job with Mirra, I knew that I needed to be close to her full-time. It would be dependent on Andy and what he’s up for doing.
“He could be a coach or maybe as support for a few weeks, who knows.”
Martinez won the women’s singles title at the All England Club back in 1994.
She said the ‘pressure is huge’ – particularly for British players.
“Spain can also be the same where you can be at the top but then you lose one match when everyone is expecting you to win,” she added.
“People have this opinion even with Carlos [Alcaraz] when he loses one match. But look how many Grand Slams he has won.”
Martinez was speaking ahead of the Eastbourne Open, where Raducanu was beaten in the round of 16 by Australia’s Maya Joint.
With Wimbledon on the horizon, Raducanu was asked before her defeat on Wednesday if Eastbourne has a ‘special significance’.
She replied: “Yeah, it’s always a tournament that you want to get a couple wins to just feel good before heading to Wimbledon.
"It's not easy because you play here and you're not feeling amazing about how clean you're hitting the ball because of the conditions – you're hitting the frame more often but it's good to kind of grind it out.
"Today [it was about] coming through and using certain skills that I wouldn't really use normally. It gives me confidence that even when it's nice and sunny, I can maybe block a few returns and that can happen so I think it teaches you a lot and for me it's good for my development.”
The 22-year-old, who has been managing a back injury, said she had a ‘little bit of fatigue and a bit of stiffness’ after beating Ann Li on Tuesday.