Emma Raducanu insisted parting company with Andrew Richardson following her US Open triumph was not a mistake despite opting to rehire him.
Richardson coached Raducanu to the US Open title five years ago but that was not enough to persuade the then teenager and her advisors to keep him on.
Raducanu instead chose to turn to a coach with WTA experience in Torben Beltz but it proved to be one of a succession of short-term appointments, the latest of which saw her part company with Spaniard Francisco Roig in January.
The 23-year-old had been without a permanent coach since then but announced last week that she had reunited with Richardson following a week training with him at the Ferrer Tennis Academy in Spain.
The decision not to keep faith with the former British Davis Cup player has been a stick critics have used to beat Raducanu with in the intervening years, but she said: “I think at that time it was very difficult to say I made a mistake, because in my life everything changed upside down, and I didn’t really think I had the most handle over the situation in the sense that I was being pulled left and right.
“I didn’t really know what was going on. I think everything also happened very quickly then. A lot of experiences over the last few years, it taught me a lot of what I didn’t want, and it taught me that I really just value having people that I trust and connect with around me.
“So it’s really nice to have that feeling back.”
Along with Richardson, Raducanu has also worked again with former childhood coaches Nick Cavaday, Mark Petchey and Jane O’Donoghue in what has been a recurring theme.
“You probably just naturally forge easier bonds with certain people over others,” said Raducanu.
“I think the fact also that he’s known me since I was very young, and I know that he’s always just wanted the best for me. When you have known someone also before I had any success, it does make a little bit of a difference, too.
“But, as a coach, I think he really believes in me, and he’s someone who doesn’t necessarily get wavered or put off by results. He’s very consistent, very solid. I’m naturally more emotional in the sense that I want things to happen quickly.”
Raducanu was keen to stress the idea to work with Richardson again came solely from her, starting with a leading text message.
“We stayed in touch, but it was just a text, and I was, like, ‘Heyyy’,” she said. “When you get a text from me with heyyy with three ys, just know something is cooking. But then it was really nice. We were able to catch up on a bit of lost time.
“When it was kind of developing, of course, in the back of my mind, I’m aware of the judgment that could potentially follow and ‘did she make a mistake? Did she regret it’, and all these questions that are being asked.
“But I think that I really wanted to just make the decisions for myself and most authentically, and it really just came from a deeper place. So I’m really happy that I followed through with it and didn’t necessarily get swayed by anyopinions or judgments.”
Raducanu will begin her French Open campaign on Sunday or Monday as one of six British players in the main singles draws.
Toby Samuel’s reward for a brilliant run through qualifying is a first-round clash with eighth seed Alex De Minaur, but Felix Gill was unable to join him, losing out 7-6 (5) 6-3 to France’s Kyrian Jacquet in the final round on Friday.