Mark Petchey cannot coach Emma Raducanu, so his daughter is instead

Mark Petchey previously worked with Emma Raducanu in 2020, a year before her breakout summer - Getty Images/Tim Clayton

As Emma Raducanu battled to a gritty first-round win over Wang Xinyu, a young woman wearing an official lanyard leaned on the fence at the corner of Court No 8, offering applause and encouragement.

Seasoned camp followers were initially confused as to the identity of this tall blonde supporter, given the tight-knit nature of Raducanu’s circle. But Raducanu later revealed that it was Myah Petchey, former US college player and daughter of her coach Mark Petchey.

“I actually think having her there really helped,” Raducanu explained with a laugh, “because I was like, ‘It’s a mini-Mark!’ She’s gonna hate me for saying that.

“I think having her encouraging every point [was beneficial], and she was standing there for the whole three hours and didn’t go,” added Raducanu, who will play defending champion Iga Swiatek on Wednesday. “I really appreciated that. Having her there was like a little symbolic representation of Mark.”

Myah Petchey alongside her father Mark - Instagram

Petchey himself was otherwise engaged at the time, fulfilling his primary commitments as a broadcaster for TNT Sports. It is a curious arrangement, where few outside Raducanu’s team have any idea whether he will be present for any given match until the warm-up begins.

Former British No 1 Dan Evans is among those who have queried the wisdom of a part-time coach, telling the BBC earlier this month: “It can’t last if she starts losing matches and Petchey is in the commentary box.” And yet, everyone who has seen Raducanu in Paris this week has commented on her upbeat mood, despite the various infirmities – initially a sore back, and then a bout of sickness – which have been afflicting her.

Raducanu gives every impression that she is happy with the status quo, even if it means that Tom Welsh – an inexperienced 26-year-old who previously worked with her defeated 2021 US Open final opponent Leylah Fernandez – ends up being her point of reference court side.

“Of course I would love to have him there on the court but like certain times it just can’t work,” Raducanu said of Petchey after her 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over Wang. “Like this tournament and a few other tournaments, it’s just dependent on the schedule.

“I know that he completely gives everything to me, off the court. I really appreciate all the time that he spends on the court, like before my match today. Even if he does late-shift commentary, he’s always there if I’m practising early.

“When it comes to the match, it would be beneficial having coaching on the side of the court. Having him there would be nice. But at the same time, having Tom and Jane [O’Donoghue, her friend and mentor] around, it’s nice as well. This was my first match with Tom there as coach. I’m glad to get through that and get off to a good start with him.”

Briton faces tough task against queen of Roland Garros

Whoever is at courtside on Wednesday for the Swiatek match, it is unlikely to make a huge amount of difference. Realistically, Raducanu does not look equipped to end Swiatek’s French Open winning streak that includes three titles and 22 straight wins, dating back to the summer of 2021.

In Monday’s first round, Swiatek more than justified her status as the queen of Roland Garros, and the nearest female equivalent to Rafael Nadal. She dropped six games in her 6-3, 6-3 victory, which is a relatively high number for her, but only because Rebecca Sramkova brought a huge amount of attitude and aggression to their match. There is only one way to discomfort Swiatek on clay, and raw power is not a quality that Raducanu – an elegant ball-striker rather than a ferocious one – is lucky enough to possess.

Raducanu faces a daunting challenge against clay specialist Iga Swiatek in the second round - Getty Images/Julian Finney

These two first met in the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon juniors, seven years ago, when Swiatek dished out a more typical 6-0, 6-1 beatdown. The next time Raducanu saw Swiatek, it was on TV in 2020, while Swiatek was surging to her first French Open.

“I did my A-levels in 2021,” Raducanu recalled. “In 2020, I remember I didn’t play tennis for six months. And I was watching this unfold. I was watching my peers, like some that are around my age, do really well. I felt it was so far away. I felt like I was being held back. But it fuelled a lot of fire and hunger inside of me that when I came back after an 18-month hiatus, from competing in 2021, I ended up having one of the best summers.”

With regard to Swiatek in particular, Raducanu added: “She’s obviously had a lot more experience, a lot more time playing tennis and competing than I have. I haven’t really had the same exposure or level of training because of school and everything. So I feel like now I’m trying to catch up and do double time and overtime work. But yeah, it’s still a long way to go.”

In their most recent meeting, which came in the third round of January’s Australian Open, Swiatek reprised the junior humbling with a 6-1, 6-0 win. Were they to meet on English soil this summer, one suspects that it might be more competitive, especially as Petchey has promised to be available for the whole of the grass-court season without any competing commitments. For the moment, though, this looks a steep hill to climb.

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