Emma Raducanu: Tim Henman backs decision for British No 1 to reunite with US Open-winning coach Andrew Richardson

Tim Henman has backed Emma Raducanu's decision to reappoint US Open-winning coach Andrew Richardson ahead of a huge summer of tennis for the British No 1.

The partnership begins immediately, with Richardson joining Raducanu in Strasbourg, where she will make her return next week after two months out through illness.

Raducanu was strongly criticised for axing Richardson shortly after her stunning win in New York in 2021, citing the need for a coach with WTA Tour experience as the reason for the split.

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At the time, the now 23-year-old said she felt she needed someone with WTA Tour experience, but, nearly five years and a host of short-term appointments later, Raducanu has again turned to Richardson.

"Grateful to have reconnected with someone who has known me for over a decade now and looking forward to building together one iteration at a time," said Raducanu.

The Brit reunites with her old coach five and a half years after their initial partnership, continuing a pattern of Raducanu favouring coaches who she worked with prior to her rapid ascent to superstardom - a decision that former British No 1 Henman views as correct.

"I think it's great that Andrew is back to support Emma and all I can say is I hope it lasts a bit longer," Henman said on Sky Sports.

"They had an incredible run in America all those years ago and it stopped working after that. She's been through a lot of other coaches between now and then.

"They obviously have a relationship from the past - Emma obviously trusts Andrew - and I think that consistency and continuity is really important, especially at this time of year.

"She's got the French Open coming up, but then the grass court season, where the spotlight is going to be at its most intense - pre-Wimbledon and at Wimbledon."

Richardson preceded and now follows in the footsteps of Nick Cavaday and Mark Petchey, while she has frequently turned to another former coach, Jane O'Donoghue, for support and advice.

Raducanu set tongues wagging when she spent a week practising with Richardson at the Ferrer Tennis Academy in Spain last month.

She played down talk of a permanent reunion at the time having said previously she was not actively looking for a replacement for her most recent coach, Francisco Roig, from whom she split following the Australian Open.

Raducanu has played only four tournaments since then, reaching her first final since the US Open in Romania in early February but picking up a virus that affected her in the Middle East and Indian Wells before she decided to step away from the tour.

Raducanu pulled out of events in Miami, Linz, Madrid and Rome but has taken a wild card into Strasbourg to give her time on the clay prior to the French Open, which begins on May 24.

The 23-year-old is set to slip to 37th in the rankings next week, meaning she will not be seeded at Roland Garros.

Overend on Raducanu finding the right balance

Sky Sports' lead tennis commentator Jonathan Overend said Raducanu will only be able to find the right balance in her setup once she answers a key question.

"I think she has spent a lot of her young career re-evaluating," he said. "In one regard, it explains why she has been through so many coaches and why she has been criticised for it.

"It's typical of Raducanu that she wants to keep re-evaluating and finding out what is best for her on and around a tennis court.

"That challenge continues, and to some extent it is a struggle, because finding the right balance is so hard, but I think she is slowly getting [it], not in terms of her Grand Slam results but in terms of that re-evaluation process.

"What is it she really wants for herself on a tennis court and in tournaments?"

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(c) Sky Sports 2026: Emma Raducanu: Tim Henman backs decision for British No 1 to reunite with US Open-winning coach Andrew Richardson