Emma Raducanu's ex-coach gives brutal verdict on her Grand Slam chances

Emma Raducanu was dealt a brutal defeat by Elena Rybakina in the US Open third round last month as she lost in straight sets and her ex-coach Mark Petchey believes he knows how she can deal with "big hitters"

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Emma Raducanu's former coach Mark Petchey believes it "won't be easy" for the British star to win another Grand Slam - but insists she can have success again if she adapts her game against the "big hitters".

Raducanu suffered an agonising straight sets defeat to ninth Elena Rybakina in the third round of the US Open, despite making a promising start at Flushing Meadows.

The 22-year-old was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by the Kazakhstani star to end her hopes of winning another major tournament, four years on from her incredible triumph at the US Open that led her to super-stardom.

Since that momentous day, Raducanu has been transitioning between a number of different coaches to help her find her footing again and worked with Petchey earlier this year on an interim basis.

She ended up hiring Rafael Nadal's ex-coach Francis Roig for the US Open but things didn't go to plan, despite a strong start.

Petchey thinks if Raducanu can improve her game from the baseline and maintain a consistent serve then she could have more success against the stronger players like Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Amisimova.

“What it said to me is everything that I hope people can see about Emma's style of play," he told BetVictor when asked about Raducaunu's defeat to Rybakina. "We're in an era of big hitters. We talk about the pace of shots, from both Sabalenka and Anisimova.

“From Emma's point of view her best style of winning matches is up on the baseline redirecting the ball, moving it around, trying to get the opponent to move before they get a chance to set on the ball. That’s obviously something that she's going to have to keep getting better at.

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“She can't get taller; she's not going to suddenly have a Rybakina serve that's going to get her as many free points. But that serve can get more accurate, it can get her set up to play a little bit better as time goes by.

“But it's one of those matches which just goes to show you know that it's not going to be easy to win another Major.

"But that's what's going to be so satisfying when she finally does. These big hitters, these power players that make life difficult for her where they do rush her are going to make things tricky for her. But it’s just motivation for her to keep working on the things that she has been doing."

Raducanu's next focus will be the Korea Open in Seoul after taking a wildcard at the tournament. It came after the British star's shock decision to snub the chance to represent Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup finals in China.