Emma Raducanu has ‘invisible mentor’ guiding her through turbulent coaching set-up

Emma Raducanu has called on the advice and guidance of childhood coach Jane O’Donoghue, a woman described as her ‘invisible mentor’, in the lead-up to her second Wimbledon campaign. Raducanu has been without a permanent coach since parting ways with Torben Beltz in April this year. 

A turbulent coaching situation has marred Raducanu’s first year on the senior circuit, despite early success at Wimbledon and the US Open. A surprise run at SW19 was Nigel Sears’ last act before Andrew Richardson came in until the end of the US Open, which the teenager triumphantly won. 

A partnership with Beltz then began but he was dismissed five months later, having overseen just 10 WTA matches which produced broadly negative results. Now officially coach-less, Raducanu was seen training with O’Donoghue at Wimbledon – the woman who played a prominent role in her development between the ages of 13 and 17. 

O’Donoghue was a solid player in her own right, breaking into the world’s top 200 before ditching her full-time tennis association three years ago for a job in the city. While she has been a regular fixture with Raducanu on the practice courts this week, there is no guarantee that she will be in the coaching box on Monday or continue in a coaching capacity after the tournament. 

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“Jane’s never not been on Emma’s team,” O’Donoghue’s former doubles partner, Claire Curran, told The Telegraph. “She’s always been an invisible mentor to Emma, she’s a friend of the family. So even though she’s not been on the scene in the last three-and-a-half years, she’s very much been part of Emma’s inner circle.

“Back in 2018, Jane told me, ‘Emma’s always going to be the one changing direction, on the front foot, dictating play’. She had a really clear understanding of the way Emma was going to build this way of playing. At the US Open, she beat people on the front foot, changing direction – that’s the game they created together.

Raducanu has struggled to maintain the level she showed in her first two Grand Slams, which saw her power to the Wimbledon round of 16 and romp to the US Open title. Despite an injury-hit build-up, recent talk from the teenager has been positive as she gears up for her home tournament. 

“I’m very much looking forward to being back here at Wimbledon,” she said. “I think that it’s the most special place to be playing tennis. Just a very inspiring and motivating place to be. Definitely looking forward to stepping out on court on Monday. Yeah, ready to go.”