Emma Raducanu opens up on new coach Francis Roig’s VERY blunt methods after winning first match since hiring Rafael Nadal’s old mentor

Emma Raducanu says her new coach Francis Roig has wasted no time delivering brutally honest feedback — and she is relishing it.

The British No 1 swept past Serbia’s Olga Danilovic 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, her first match under the guidance of Roig, who spent 17 years working with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.

Saturday’s victory set up a second-round meeting with world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka — a player who ended Raducanu’s Wimbledon hopes last month.

Asked in Ohio what impact Roig has made so far, Raducanu said: ‘It’s just, “the level needs to be better”. In a good way, not in a negative way. It’s just calling it how it is.

‘And I’m very like that. I’m very factual and I don’t necessarily like fluffing something up. I think that’s where we get on really well and we understand each other.

‘Just in general, everything is like: “We need to improve. We need to get every shot better.” And that’s exciting, because I feel like there’s a lot of potential to go and I don’t think I’m near it.’

The 22-year-old added that she has been approaching matches with a calmer and more mature mindset.

‘You always feel a little bit of nerves before the first round, but I think that overall, I’m approaching everything in a lot more calm way, mature, and I think I’m trusting a lot more the work I’m doing behind the scenes.

‘I know I’m putting a lot of hours in, and it takes some of the pressure off of the results.  ‘I think the way I’m playing, the movements of my shot, improving the quality of my shot.

‘There were four or five points where I did something that we were working on, and it’s always really satisfying and rewarding when you hit a shot and you’ve worked on it in practice.

‘So I think I’m going to improve a lot, hopefully doing the work day in, day out.’  Roig is the eighth coach of Raducanu’s burgeoning career.

Raducanu is currently ranked 39th in the women’s singles rankings ahead of the US Open, which begins in New York later this month.  In addition to attempting to win back the singles title she won back in 2021, Raducanu will team up with Carlos Alcaraz as wildcards in the revamped mixed doubles event.